Sadako Sawamura

Sadako Sawamura (沢村貞子, Sawamura Sadako; 11 November 1908 – 16 August 1996) was a Japanese stage and film actress and essayist who appeared in more than 350 films between 1935 and 1976.

Sawamura was born in the Asakusa district of Tokyo. After dropping out of Japan Women's University, she was active in left-wing theatre groups and was twice arrested for her political beliefs, spending over a year in prison with much of it in solitary confinement. She started acting in films in 1934, first at the Nikkatsu studio, later at Toho. She appeared in many supporting roles after the war, often working with director Mikio Naruse. Sawamura also acted in films by directors including Kenji Mizoguchi, Yasujirō Ozu, Keisuke Kinoshita and Kaneto Shindō.

Her brothers were the actors Daisuke Katō and Kunitarō Sawamura. Her autobiography Watashi no Asakusa has been translated into English as My Asakusa. She was married three times: to actor Shigeo Imamura (1931-33), actor Kamatari Fujiwara (1936-46) and subsequently to film magazine editor and critic Yasuhiko Ohashi (1968-96, though domestic partners from 1946 onward).

Filmography (246 Appearances)

The Foster Mother

TBA

365日の献立日記

2019

When Winter Comes

1985

Daikazoku

1984

Hikarugake

1977

Japan Beauty Story: A Woman Among Women

1975

おれの義姉さん

1970

The Street Car Game

1969

Waga koi waga uta

1969

My Brother, My Love

1968

Rose Buds in the Rainbow

1968

The Young Eagles of the Kamikaze

1968

Nunnery Confidential

1968

Thoroughbred Women Gamblers

1967

The Rickshaw Man’s Son

1967

Swift Current

1967

Flower Cards Chivalry

1967

Sayonara ressha

1966

Once a Rainy Day

1966

The Kii River

1966

A Sky Full of Tears

1966

Bad Reputation: Cherry Blossoms

1966

Night Bitch

1966

The Passionate Spinster

1965

Snow Country

1965

Love on the Rainbow

1965

That Cute Girl

1965

Salaryman's Medal

1965

Nami kage

1965

A Fugitive from the Past

1965

Eddy Currents of Life

1964

Whirlpool of Flesh

1964

Sweet Sweat

1964

Taiyou wo Daku Onna

1964

I'm a Bodyguard

1964

A Story from Echigo

1964

Youth Season Continued

1964

Night Scandal in Japan

1964

Mr. Giant's Victory Flag

1964

Miren

1963

At the Side of the Bridge 4

1963

Double Wedding

1963

Tale of Army Brutality

1963

The Life of Rikisha-Man

1963

Dokuritsu bijin-tai

1963

Crazy Operation: First Move

1963

Police Precinct: Backing Investigation

1963

At the Side of the Bridge 3

1963

A Comedy in Front of the Station: Chinese Restaurant

1962

Naite waratta hanayome

1962

Born in Sin

1962

Curry Rice

1962

Chûshingura

1962

Zoku aizen katsura

1962

Youth Season

1962

At the Side of the Bridge 2

1962

Ganko Oyaji to Edokko Shain

1962

Kyūjin ryokō

1962

A Comedy in Front of the Station: Onsen

1962

Glory on the Summit

1962

Star of Hong Kong

1962

Four Sisters

1962

At the Side of the Bridge

1962

Pig and Goldfish

1962

Ottamage ningyo monogatari

1962

Flower in a Storm

1962

Lady Sen and Hideyori

1962

Our Marriage

1962

湖愁

1962

The Prickly Mouthed Geisha and the Girl of Osaka

1962

In Search of Mother

1962

South Pacific Waves Are High

1962

A Roaring Trade

1962

Nippon no obaachan

1962

Wakai yatsura no kaidan

1961

The Catch

1961

Boss Takes to the Road

1961

Girls of the Night

1961

Toilet Manager

1961

Awamori-kun uridasu

1961

The Estuary

1961

Hikkoshi yatsure

1961

Door of Flowers

1961

Triangle Moods

1961

Romance Express

1961

Zero Focus

1961

Women of Tokyo

1961

Mahiru no wana

1960

Late Autumn

1960

Ponkotsu

1960

Towering Waves

1960

Dare yori mo kimi o aisu

1960

Jiyūgaoka fujin

1960

Hero of the Red Light District

1960

Youth in Fury

1960

New Third Class Executive: Husband Education

1960

The Dangerous Kiss

1960

Salaryman Sampei Meijiro: A Wife's Virginal Face

1960

Police Precinct Part 13

1960

Salaryman Idea Book: Concern for Success

1960

Storm on the Silvery Peaks

1960

Salaryman Idea Book: Man of Worrisome Episodes

1960

Hito mo arukeba

1960

Beyond the Hills

1960

The Wandering Princess

1960

When a Woman Ascends the Stairs

1960

Pineapple Butai

1959

The Terrible Game

1959

The Human Wall

1959

Young Lovers

1959

Ripe and Marriageable

1959

Someday I'll Know

1959

Koko ni otoko ari

1959

Vagabond Lovers

1959

The Cast-Off

1959

Good Morning

1959

Souls in the Moonlight III

1959

Whistling in the morning

1959

Police Precinct: The Woman Without A Face

1959

Echo Mountain

1959

People Waiting for Spring

1959

One Step to Happiness

1958

The Naked General

1958

Bright Young Maidens

1958

Beyond the Seasonal Wind

1958

Little Peach

1958

Fearless Opposition

1958

Romance Freestyle

1958

Souls in the Moonlight II

1958

Firefly Light

1958

直八子供旅

1958

Hibi no haishin

1958

Shinkon nanatsu no tanoshimi

1958

No Advice Taken

1958

The Adorable Trio

1957

Zokuzoku Ôban: Dotô hen

1957

The Blue Sky Maiden

1957

The Beauty Expert

1957

Zoku Ôban: Fûun hen

1957

When It Rains, It Pours

1957

Untamed Woman

1957

The Betrothed

1957

Morning Whistling

1957

Ôban

1957

Young Lovers

1957

The Rose on His Arm

1956

Love on Rainbow Island

1956

Bridge of Japan

1956

Cascading White Threads

1956

Gendai no yokubô

1956

Midori naru hito: kōhen ai no honryū

1956

Midori naru hito: zenpen wakare no yogisha

1956

The Lady Was Pawn

1956

A Wife's Heart

1956

Three Youngmen and a Dream Girl

1956

Avalanche

1956

The President Talks Bank

1956

Street of Shame

1956

Young Tree

1956

The President's Boss

1956

Iroha Elegy

1955

So Young, So Bright

1955

Ejima and Ikushima

1955

The Romance of Yushima

1955

Santōshain to onna hisho

1955

Next Door to Happiness

1955

Mother's Ambition

1955

Beautiful Days

1955

Salaryman Mejiro Sanpei

1955

Ofukuro

1955

The Big Ambition

1955

Frame of Snow

1955

Here Is a Spring

1955

Policeman's Diary

1955

お月様には悪いけど

1954

The Cock Crows Twice

1954

The Surf

1954

The Days of Youth are Days of Sadness

1954

The Valley Between Love and Death

1954

Geisha Hidekoma

1954

乾杯!女学生

1954

Late Chrysanthemums

1954

All of Myself

1954

Itsuko to sono haha

1954

Love Letter

1953

The Lovers

1953

Princess Finds Her Prince

1953

Tokyo Profile

1953

Dreaming People

1953

The Blue Revolution

1953

Sisters

1953

The End of the Night

1953

Miniature

1953

One Thousand Ryo Ship in the Wind and Clouds

1952

Oka wa hanazakari

1952

The Woman Who Touched the Legs

1952

Adolescence

1952

Shanghai Rose

1952

Four Asakusa Sisters

1952

Tokyo Sweetheart

1952

Forbidden Path

1952

Mother

1952

Third Class Executives

1952

Kin no tamago: Golden Girl

1952

The Life of Oharu

1952

Mr. Lucky

1952

Wedding March

1951

Dancing Girl

1951

The White Orchid

1951

Elegy

1951

A Man from Akagi

1950

Jiruba no Tetsu

1950

Beyond the Hills

1950

Guntō nanban-sen

1950

Spring Snow

1950

Onna no ryūkō

1950

First Love Questions and Answers

1950

Broken Drum

1949

The Flower That Crossed the Mountain

1949

Ishimatsu of the Forest

1949

Flame of My Love

1949

Goblin Courier

1949

Kōfuku no genkai

1948

Ghosts Die at Dawn

1948

Twenty-One Fingerprints

1948

Victory Song

1945

Miyamoto Musashi - Battle at Han'nya Hill

1943

Mother Never Dies

1942

Onna keizu

1942

Green Earth

1942

Sky of Hope

1942

A Man's Flower Road of Triumph

1941

Dancers of Awa

1941

Horse

1941

Kodakara fūfu

1941

Bellflower

1940

Wedding Day

1940

Toyuki

1940

Hideko the Cheerleader

1940

Shinpen Tange Sazen: Sekigan no maki

1939

Osanaki mono no hata

1939

Ichiyo Higuchi

1939

The New Tange Sazen: The Chapter of the Two-Armed Swordsman

1939

A Pebble by the Wayside

1938

Sōbō

1937

Passionate Poet Ishikawa Takuboku - Hometown

1936 Debut
Back to top