Photo: Kevin Paul / CC BY 4.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Honestly, Meiko Kaji is one of those screen presences who can stop a room without saying a word. Give her a slow look over one shoulder and the whole frame snaps to attention. I love that her power is restraint, all stillness and that unblinking glare, whether she's the vengeful Sasori in Female Prisoner Scorpion or the snow-bound avenger in Lady Snowblood. And then there's her voice, which floors me every time. Those haunting, smoky theme songs are so good Tarantino dropped them into Kill Bill and introduced her to a whole new generation. The fact that she has the hardware too, a Blue Ribbon Award and a Mainichi best actress nod, tells you the cool exterior is backed by real craft. Decades on, she still carries that unbending, perfectly composed dignity, and to me that's the coolest thing about her.
Overview
Meiko Kaji is a Japanese actress and singer born on March 24, 1947, in Chiyoda, Tokyo. She is internationally recognized for her iconic roles in the Female Prisoner Scorpion and Lady Snowblood film series during the 1970s. Her self-performed theme songs gained worldwide exposure after director Quentin Tarantino featured them in Kill Bill. She received the Blue Ribbon Award for Best Actress in 1979 and also won the Mainichi Film Award for Best Actress.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Meiko Kaji
- Name (Japanese)
- 梶芽衣子
- Reading
- かじ めいこ
- Born
- March 24, 1947 (age 79)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Aries / Boar (亥)
- Origin
- Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan
- Occupation
- Actress / Singer
2. Background
Awards & achievements
- 1979 — Blue Ribbon Award, Best Actress
- Year Unknown — Mainichi Film Concours, Best Actress
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
- Instagramhttps://www.instagram.com/kajimeiko_official/
- Wikipedia (Japanese)https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E6%A2%B6%E8%8A%BD%E8%A1%A3%E5%AD%90
Frequently asked questions
When was Meiko Kaji born?
Born March 24, 1947 (age 79).
Where is Meiko Kaji from?
Meiko Kaji is from Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan.
What does Meiko Kaji do?
Meiko Kaji works as Actress, Singer.
Actress — see all → · Singer — 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.