Photo: Martin Kraft / CC BY-SA 3.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Mari Natsuki is one of those performers who just radiates danger and glamour, and I mean that as the highest compliment. She started as this smoldering, theatrical singer, then quietly stacked up real acting chops, snagging a Japan Academy Prize back in the mid-80s, and somehow that's not even the thing most people know her for. For me she'll always be Yubaba in Spirited Away, that voice you recognize in half a second, all velvet and menace. What kills me is that she never coasted, jazz, stage, screen, voice work, deep into her seventies and still looking cooler than people half her age. That's the part I love most. She makes getting older look like an art form rather than a surrender, and honestly, that's a vibe I'll chase forever.
Story
From Glamour to Gravitas: Mari Natsuki and the Art of Getting Older
Overview
Mari Natsuki is a Japanese singer, dancer, actress, voice actress, and jazz musician born on May 2, 1952, in Toshima, Tokyo. She attended Toshimagaoka Girls' Junior and Senior High School. In 1984 she received the Japan Academy Prize for Best Supporting Actress, and has also been recognized with the Golden Arrow Award. She is widely known internationally as the Japanese voice of Yubaba in the animated film Spirited Away.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Mari Natsuki
- Name (Japanese)
- 夏木マリ
- Reading
- なつき
- Born
- May 2, 1952 (age 74)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Taurus / Dragon
- Origin
- Toshima, Tokyo, Japan
- Occupation
- Singer / Dancer / Actress / Voice Actress / Jazz Musician
2. Background
- High school
- Toshimagaoka Girls' Junior and Senior High School
Awards & achievements
- Japan Academy Prize for Best Supporting Actress (1984)
- Golden Arrow Award (year unknown)
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
- Official sitehttps://www.natsukirock.com/
- Instagramhttps://www.instagram.com/mari_natsuki/
- Xhttps://x.com/marinatsukides
- Wikipedia (Japanese)https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%A4%8F%E6%9C%A8%E3%83%9E%E3%83%AA
Frequently asked questions
When was Mari Natsuki born?
Born May 2, 1952 (age 74).
Where is Mari Natsuki from?
Mari Natsuki is from Toshima, Tokyo, Japan.
What does Mari Natsuki do?
Mari Natsuki works as Singer, Dancer, Actress, Voice Actress, Jazz Musician.
Singer — see all → · Dancer — see all → · More people from Japan →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.