My Take
Kirin Kiki was the kind of actor who made you forget you were watching a performance — she was just there, completely alive on screen, whether she was playing a sharp-tongued landlady or a quietly heartbroken mother. I first really noticed her in Hirokazu Kore-eda's films, especially Still Walking and later Shoplifters, where she brought this incredible weight to a character who could be selfish and loving and funny all at once, sometimes in the same breath. She worked constantly for over five decades and never seemed to phone it in, even in small TV roles. The fact that she was battling cancer through much of her final decade and kept working anyway — and kept being brilliant — says everything. She passed in September 2018 at 75, and Japanese cinema genuinely lost one of its all-time greats.
Overview
Kirin Kiki (Japanese: 樹木 希林, Hepburn: Kiki Kirin; 15 January 1943 – 15 September 2018) was a Japanese actress for Japanese cinema and television.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Kirin Kiki
- Name (Japanese)
- 樹木希林
- Reading
- 不明
- Born
- January 15, 1943 – September 15, 2018
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Capricorn / Goat
- Origin
- Tokyo City, Empire of Japan
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- Private
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- actor / seiyū
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Private
- University
- Private
Awards & achievements
- 2008 Medal with Purple Ribbon
- 2009 Blue Ribbon Awards for Best Supporting Actress
- Golden Arrow Award
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
- Wikipedia (Japanese)https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E6%A8%B9%E6%9C%A8%E5%B8%8C%E6%9E%97
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.