was a Japanese singer and actress.

Biography

Tanaka was born in

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

, the daughter of Tanaka Raishō. She studied music at the

University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna The University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna (, abbreviated MDW) is an Austrian university established in 1817 located in Vienna. With a student body of over three thousand, it is the largest institution of its kind in Austria, and one of t ...

. She lived and worked mainly in Europe and US. She married German actor and singer

Viktor de Kowa Viktor de Kowa (also spelled Victor de Kowa, born Victor Paul Karl Kowalczyk; 8 March 1904 – 8 April 1973) was a German stage and film actor, chanson singer, director, narrator, and comic poet. Life He was born the son of a farmer and engineer ...

in 1939 and they were together until his death 1973. Tanaka died in

Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...

in 1988. Tanaka and Victor are buried in

Friedhof Heerstraße The Friedhof Heerstraße cemetery is located at Trakehnerallee 1 (''Trakehner avenue No.1''), district of Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf in Berlin, Germany, to the east of the Olympic Stadium (Berlin), Olympiastadion. It covers an area of 14 ...

, in an

Ehrengrab An ''Ehrengrab'' ( English: 'grave of honor') is a distinction granted by certain German, Swiss and Austrian cities to some of their citizens for extraordinary services or achievements in their lifetimes. If there are no descendants or institut ...

donated by the city of Berlin.

Selected filmography

* '' Dschainah, das Mädchen aus dem Tanzhaus'' (1935) * '' Last Love'' (1935) * ''

Yoshiwara was a famous ( red-light district) in Edo, present-day Tokyo, Japan. Established in 1617, Yoshiwara was one of three licensed and well-known red-light districts created during the early 17th century by the Tokugawa shogunate, alongside Shim ...

'' (1937) * '' Storm Over Asia'' (1938) * ''

Scandal at the Embassy ''Scandal at the Embassy'' () is a 1950 West German comedy film directed by Erik Ode and starring Viktor de Kowa, Jeanette Schultze and Michiko Tanaka.Bock & Bergfelder p. 33 It was shot at the Bavaria Studios in Munich. The film's sets were d ...

'' (1950) * ''

Madame Butterfly ''Madama Butterfly'' (; ''Madame Butterfly'') is an opera in three acts (originally two) by Giacomo Puccini, with an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa. It is based on the short story " Madame Butterfly" (1898) by John Lut ...

'' (1954) * ''

Girl from Hong Kong ''Girl from Hong Kong'' () is a 1961 West German romance film directed by Franz Peter Wirth and starring Hanns Lothar, Helmut Griem and Akiko Wakabayashi.Schrader & Winkler p. 175 The film's sets were designed by the art directors Hans Berthel an ...

'' (1961)

References

Bibliography

* * *

External links

* 1909 births 1988 deaths Japanese film actresses Japanese expatriates in Germany Singers from Tokyo 20th-century Japanese actresses 20th-century Japanese women singers 20th-century Japanese singers {{Japan-film-actor-stub