is a Japanese

actress An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. ...

and singer. In Japan, she is well known for her performance as Sakura in the ''

Otoko wa Tsurai yo is a Japanese film series starring Kiyoshi Atsumi as Torajirō Kuruma, whose nickname is , a kind-hearted vagabond who is always unlucky in love. The series itself is often referred to as "''Tora-san''" by its fans. Spanning 48 installments rel ...

'' series from 1969 until 1995. In addition, she has acted in many films directed by Yōji Yamada since the 1960s. She won the award for Best Actress at the 5th

Hochi Film Award The are film-specific prizes awarded by the '' Hochi Shimbun''. Categories *Best Picture *Best International Picture *Best Animated Picture (since 2017) *Best Actor *Best Actress *Best Supporting Actor *Best Supporting Actress *Best New Artist ...

for '' A Distant Cry from Spring''.

Voice acting

She sometimes performs as a voice actress, such as "Sophie" in '' Howl's Moving Castle'' in 2004. Although different voice actresses usually played young and old Sophie in the foreign dubs of the film, Baisho performed both roles alone, as well as the film's theme song.

Singing career

She has had a career as a singer since her debut with the song "Shitamachi no Taiyō" in 1962, for which she won the "newcomer award" of the

Japan Record Award is a major music awards show, held annually in Japan that recognizes outstanding achievements in the Japan Composer's Association. Established in 1959, the Japan Record Awards are one of the oldest and most prestigious music awards in the count ...

. Her 1965 single, "Sayonara wa dance atoni", a cha-cha ballad, later had its melody inspire the 1992 song '' Moonlight Densetsu'', the theme song of the first four seasons for the anime adaption of ''

Sailor Moon is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Naoko Takeuchi. It was originally serialized in Kodansha's Shōjo manga, ''shōjo'' manga magazine ''Nakayoshi'' from 1991 to 1997; the 60 individual chapters (later reorganized into ...

''. A cover by Mariko Takahashi would later appear in another Ghibli film, '' Only Yesterday.''

Personal

She is the older sister of Mitsuko Baisho, who is also an actress. She is married to the Japanese composer .

Selected filmography

Honours

*Kinuyo Tanaka Award (2001) * Medal with Purple Ribbon (2005) * Order of the Rising Sun, 4th Class, Gold Rays with Rosette (2013)

References

External links

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Talent Databank profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Baisho, Chieko 1941 births Living people Actresses from Tokyo Japanese film actresses Japanese television actresses Japanese voice actresses Asadora lead actors Singers from Tokyo Recipients of the Medal with Purple Ribbon Recipients of the Order of the Rising Sun, 4th class 20th-century Japanese actresses 20th-century Japanese women singers 21st-century Japanese actresses 21st-century Japanese women singers