🎬 Movies Mates PEOPLE
Sadako Sawamura
Acting
Biography
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, Yas…
Read full biography
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).
Biography expanded
BODY OF WORK
Sadako Sawamura's Filmography
Select any movie to open its full Movies Mates details page.
When Winter Comes
Japan Beauty Story: A Woman Among Women
The Street Car Game
as Deguchi Ume
The Song from My Heart
My Brother, My Love
as Kayo Kitagawa
Lemon in the Rainbow
as Setsuko Sasaki
The Young Eagles of the Kamikaze
Volcano of Station Front Plaza
Nunnery Confidential
A Comedy in Front of the Station: Fortune
as Sada Banno
Thoroughbred Women Gamblers
The Rickshaw Man’s Son
as Taki
Swift Current
Flower Cards Chivalry
Sayonara ressha
No Poster
Once a Rainy Day
The Kii River
as Ichi, housekeeper
A Sky Full of Tears
as Kikue Sugisaki
Bad Reputation: Cherry Blossoms
Night Bitch
as Matsu Komazaki
The Passionate Spinster
as Riki Tonobe
Finances in Front of the Train Station
Snow Country
as Dance teacher
That Cute Girl
Love on the Rainbow
as Masako Yamashita
Salaryman's Medal
Nami kage
A Fugitive from the Past
as Motojima's Wife
Hospital in Front of the Train Station
Eddy Currents of Life
as Teacher Ikegami
My Lover
as Sugiko's aunt
Heavenly Gods in Front of the Train Station
Whirlpool of Flesh
as Tomiko Sekiguchi
Sweet Sweat
as Matsuko
Mumu Dance
Taiyou wo Daku Onna
I'm a Bodyguard
A Story from Echigo
Youth Season Continued
as Sawamura Sawako (Restaurant "Sawamura" proprietress and Keiko's older sister)
Two Bitches
as Tetsu Kawabe
Mr. Giant's Victory Flag
Miren
as Hostess at 'Mitsuda'
At the Side of the Bridge 4
Double Wedding
as Shigeko
Tale of Army Brutality
as Toki, Yahichi's mother
Dokuritsu bijin-tai
The Life of Rikisha-Man
Crazy Operation: First Move
Wakai yatsu
Police Precinct: Backing Investigation
A Salaryman's Reckless Family
At the Side of the Bridge 3
A Comedy in Front of the Station: Chinese Restaurant
Naite waratta hanayome
Curry Rice
Born in Sin
Chûshingura
Zoku aizen katsura
Youth Season
At the Side of the Bridge 2
Ganko Oyaji to Edokko Shain
Kyūjin ryokō
Glory on the Summit
A Comedy in Front of the Station: Onsen
Star of Hong Kong
as Sugimoto Natsuko
At the Side of the Bridge
Four Sisters
as Makiko
Pig and Goldfish
Ottamage ningyo monogatari
Flower in a Storm
Lady Sen and Hideyori
as Yodogimi
Our Marriage
as Mother
Koshū
The Prickly Mouthed Geisha and the Girl of Osaka
as Otake
In Search of Mother
as Otora
South Pacific Waves Are High
A Roaring Trade
Nippon no obaachan
Wakai yatsura no kaidan
The Catch
as Katsu
Sanctuary
Boss Takes to the Road
as Kimie Morikawa
Girls of the Night
as Kitamura
Toilet Manager
Awamori-kun uridasu
The Estuary
Hikkoshi yatsure
Onna no hashi
Door of Flowers
Triangle Moods
as Kame
Romance Express
Dare yori mo dare yori mo kimi o aisu
Zero Focus
as Mrs. Sotaro Uhara
Women of Tokyo
as Yuki Takeuchi
Mahiru no wana
as Kikuyo
Late Autumn
as Fumiko
Ponkotsu
Towering Waves
as Mrs. Tazawa
Dare yori mo kimi o aisu
Jiyūgaoka fujin
Hero of the Red Light District
Youth in Fury
as Aki Katsura
New Third Class Executive: Husband Education
as Kaneko Tsujikura
The Dangerous Kiss
Salaryman Sampei Meijiro: A Wife's Virginal Face
Police Precinct Part 13
as Madam next to Hikariso
Police Precinct Part 13
Salaryman Idea Book: Concern for Success
as Okane
Glory to the President of the Henpecked Political Party
Storm on the Silvery Peaks
as Kiyo
Tōkyō no josei
Salaryman Idea Book: Man of Worrisome Episodes
as Okane
Hito mo arukeba
as Kin Narikin
Beyond the Hills
as Oiku Wada
The Wandering Princess
as Kazuko Sugawara
When a Woman Ascends the Stairs
as Toshiko
Pineapple Butai
as Omine
The Terrible Game
as Yabuki Toyo
The Human Wall
Young Lovers
as Ayako Nozaki
Ripe and Marriageable
as Mrs. Nakazato
Someday I'll Know
as Fusako Kaneko
Vagabond Lovers
Koko ni otoko ari
Work Hard, Happy Girls!
The Bell of Love
The Cast-Off
as Fumiko
Good Morning
as Kayoko Fukui
Souls in the Moonlight III
Musuko
Whistling in the Morning
Police Precinct: The Woman Without A Face
Echo Mountain
as Takako Hirasawa
People Waiting for Spring
as Chiyo Tsukagoshi
One Step to Happiness
The Naked General
Bright Young Maidens
as Chie Shibata, Sumiko's Mother
Hanayome no teikō
as Seiko Maekawa
Edo wa aozora
Beyond the Seasonal Wind
Little Peach
Fearless Opposition
No Poster
Romance Freestyle
Souls in the Moonlight II
as Otsuno
Firefly Light
直八子供旅
Hibi no haishin
Shinkon nanatsu no tanoshimi
No Advice Taken
The Adorable Trio
as Sadako Kamiya
Zokuzoku Ôban: Dotô hen
as Tane
Faraway Man
The Blue Sky Maiden
as Tatsuko Ono
The Beauty Expert
Zoku Ôban: Fûun hen
as Tane
When It Rains, It Pours
as Tane Abe
Untamed Woman
as Oshima's aunt
The Betrothed
Haha to ko no mado
A Tale of Dung and Urine
Morning Whistling
Ôban
as Tane, Ushinosuke's Mother
No Poster
Story of a Detective's Assistant Sequel
Story of a Detective's Assistant
as Mine
Young Lovers
I Love You
The Rose on His Arm
as Akiyama's mother
Love on Rainbow Island
as Omatsu Hayashi
Bridge of Japan
The Three Musketeers Reunite
Cascading White Threads
Gendai no yokubô
Midori naru hito: kōhen ai no honryū
Midori naru hito: zenpen wakare no yogisha
A Wife's Heart
The Lady Was Pawn
Three Youngmen and a Dream Girl
as Taniyama’s Mother
Avalanche
The President Talks Bank
Street of Shame
as Tatsuko Taya
Everyone's Sweetheart
Young Tree
as Kuniko's mother (uncredited)
The President's Boss
I Was Tokichiro
So Young, So Bright
as Oine
Iroha Elegy
Ejima and Ikushima
as 玉椿
Youth
Detour to Love
as Koto, mother
The Romance of Yushima
No Poster
Santōshain to onna hisho
Next Door to Happiness
Mother's Ambition
The Tears of Geisha Konatsu
Beautiful Days
as Imanishi's Mother
Salaryman Mejiro Sanpei
Ofukuro
The Big Ambition
as Sumie Shida
Frame of Snow
as Satoko (Ishiyama’s wife)
Here Is a Spring
Policeman's Diary
お月様には悪いけど
as 鶴田はと子
The Cock Crows Twice
The Surf
as Tomi, Shinji's Mother
The Days of Youth are Days of Sadness
The Valley Between Love and Death
Husband on the Run
Geisha Hidekoma
乾杯！女学生
Late Chrysanthemums
as Nobu
Yearning
All of Myself
as Kazama’s Aunt
My Six Favorite Men — Speedy Men
Geisha Konatsu
as Kimiso's madame
Itsuko to sono haha
as Fusako Tashiro
One Night of Love
as Ohama
Mama's Diary
Love Letter
as Bookstor's owner
The Lovers
as Mrs. Ushiyama
Princess Finds Her Prince
Tokyo Profile
as Kiyoko
The Blue Revolution
Dreaming People
Sisters
The End of the Night
Miniature
Shinkon noroke bushi
One Thousand Ryo Ship in the Wind and Clouds
Oka wa hanazakari
The Woman Who Touched the Legs
Zoku santō jūyaku
Adolescence
as Natsu, Mayumi's mother
Shanghai Rose
as Miss Shen
Four Asakusa Sisters
Tokyo Sweetheart
as Jewelry shop proprietress
Forbidden Path
Mother
as Osei
Third Class Executives
as Mrs. Kuwabara
Kin no tamago: Golden Girl
The Life of Oharu
as Sasaya's wife Owasa
Mr. Lucky
Wedding March
as Kumako
No Poster
Aizenbashi
Dorei no machi
Dancing Girl
as Mitsue
The Love Letter Trial
The White Orchid
Elegy
A Man from Akagi
Jiruba no Tetsu
No Poster
Beyond the Hills
Duel in Senjo Mountain
Guntō nanban-sen
Spring Snow
Onna no ryūkō
First Love Questions and Answers
Broken Drum
as Yasuko
No Poster
Onna goroshi abura jigoku
The Flower That Crossed the Mountain
No Poster
My Name Is Mistress
Three Pearls
Haha koiboshi
Ishimatsu of the Forest
Flame of My Love
Goblin Courier
Kōfuku no genkai
Ghosts Die at Dawn
as Takeko
No Poster
Sen-hime goten
Yakyukyō jidai
No Poster
Nerawareta onna
No Poster
The Fifth Witness
Twenty-One Fingerprints
Victory Song
as Captain's mother
Monpe-san
Miyamoto Musashi - Battle at Han'nya Hill
as Osaki
Mother Never Dies
No Poster
Onna keizu
Green Earth
Sky of Hope
as Kiyo
A Man's Flower Road of Triumph
The Night Before the Meiji Restoration
Dancers of Awa
Horse
as Kikuko Yamashita
No Poster
Kodakara fūfu
Bellflower
as Mother
Wedding Day
Travels to the East
as Apprentice Geisha
Hideko the Cheerleader
as Tomoko, Hideko's mother
Shinpen Tange Sazen: Sekigan no maki
as Otomi
No Poster
Osanaki mono no hata
as Mother
No Poster
Ichiyo Higuchi
No Poster
The New Tange Sazen: The Chapter of the Two-Armed Swordsman
A Pebble by the Wayside
as Sumie
No Poster
Sōbō
Passionate Poet Ishikawa Takuboku - Hometown
The Foster Mother
as Otsuna