Shizue Tatsuta () (3 November 1903 - 21 January 1962) was the

stage name A stage name or professional name is a pseudonym used by performers, authors, and entertainers—such as actors, comedians, singers, and musicians. The equivalent concept among writers is called a ''nom de plume'' (pen name). Some performers ...

of Shizue Shiono, 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. ...

who starred in

silent movie ''Silent Movie'' is a 1976 American satirical silent comedy film co-written, directed by and starring Mel Brooks, released by 20th Century Fox in summer 1976. The ensemble cast includes Dom DeLuise, Marty Feldman, Bernadette Peters, and S ...

s. Born in

Yamagata Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku region of Honshu. It has a population of 1,005,926 (1 February 2025) and an area of 9,325 Square kilometre, km2 (3,600 Square mile, sq mi). Its neighbours are Akita Prefectu ...

, she briefly attended

Japan Women's University is the oldest and largest of private Japanese women's universities. The university was established on 20 April 1901 by education reformist . The university has around 6000 students and 200 faculty. It has two campuses, named after the neighbo ...

but did not graduate. Moving to

Kyoto Kyoto ( or ; Japanese language, Japanese: , ''Kyōto'' ), officially , is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in the Kansai region of Japan's largest and most populous island of Honshu. , the city had a population of 1.46 million, making it t ...

and joining the

Shochiku Studio is a Japanese film and production studio company of Shochiku Group, which has been producing movies and dramas for roughly a century, being the second-oldest motion picture company in Japan. The company has production bases in Kyoto and Tokyo ...

in 1924, she subsequently starred in over seventy silent films, primarily in the role of

modern girl (also shortened to ) were Japanese women who followed Westernized fashions and lifestyles in the period after World War I. were Japan's equivalent of America's flappers, Germany's , France's , or China's (). By viewing through a Japanese ...

. Her last film, ''Educating Father'' was released in 1935. After retiring from acting, she opened a

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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 city in which she ultimately died aged 58.

Biography

Shizue Shiono was born in the

of Japan on 3 November 1903, although she later claimed to have been born in 1906. After attending the local high school, she moved to

to study at

, but left before graduating with the ambition to become a photographer. In May 1924, she moved to

and auditioned for the

, appearing in her first

silent film A silent film is a film without synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, w ...

, titled ''Kudō no hibiki'' or ''Throat Sound'', the same year. She adopted the

of Shizue Tatsuta, under which she subsequently appeared in over seventy films, her last, titled ''Oyaji kyōiku'' or ''Educating Father'', being released in 1935. During her time, she worked with directors like

Yasujirō Shimazu was a Japanese film director and screenwriter, and a pioneer of the ''Shoshimin-eiga, shōshimin-eiga'' (common people drama) genre at the Shōchiku studios in pre-World War II Japan. Biography Shimazu was born in Tokyo, the second son of merch ...

and

Yasujirō Ozu was a Japanese filmmaker. He began his career during the era of silent films, and his last films were made in colour in the early 1960s. Ozu first made a number of short comedies, before turning to more serious themes in the 1930s. The most pr ...

. She then retired and moved to

Ginza Ginza ( ; ) is a district of Chūō, Tokyo, Chūō, Tokyo, located south of Yaesu and Kyōbashi, Tokyo, Kyōbashi, west of Tsukiji, east of Yūrakuchō and Uchisaiwaichō, and north of Shinbashi. It is a popular upscale shopping area of Tokyo ...

, opening a

. She married Aikichi Ikeda, a dealer in luxury furniture, in 1938, with whom she had a child. She died on 21 January 1962 at her home in

Setagaya is a special ward in the Tokyo Metropolis in Japan. It is also the name of a neighborhood and administrative district within the ward. Its official bird is the azure-winged magpie, its flower is the fringed orchid, and its tree is the '' Ze ...

, Tokyo. As an actress, Shizue frequently played the role of the

. In the

nationalistic Nationalism is an idea or movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the state. As a movement, it presupposes the existence and tends to promote the interests of a particular nation, Smith, Anthony. ''Nationalism: Theory, Id ...

atmosphere of the time, this character often had the role of

antagonist An antagonist is a character in a story who is presented as the main enemy or rival of the protagonist and is often depicted as a villain.Japanese values Japanese values are cultural goals, beliefs and behaviors that are considered important in Japanese culture. From a global perspective, Japanese culture stands out for its higher scores in emancipative values, individualism, and flexibility compare ...

embodied by the

protagonist A protagonist () is the main character of a story. The protagonist makes key decisions that affect the plot, primarily influencing the story and propelling it forward, and is often the character who faces the most significant obstacles. If a ...

Filmography

Shizue's film career lasted between 1924 and 1935 and included appearances in the following films: * 1924 ''Throat Sound'' * 1924 ''Pirate Island'' * 1924 ''Deciduous Song'' * 1925 ''Kouei is Hell'' * 1926 ''Dawn of Tears'' * 1927 ''Tears'' * 1927 ''New Pearl'' * 1927 ''The Hero of the Sea'' * 1927 ''The Man Who Picked up Love'' * 1928 ''Weak People'' * 1928 ''Spring Hiraku'' * 1929 ''A New Kind of Woman'' * 1930 ''An Introduction to Marriage'' * 1930 ''I Love Women'' * 1930 ''Sisters'' * 1930 ''New edition, I am Sin Sakubei'' * 1930 ''Young Lady'' * 1933 ''The Bride Talks'' * 1935 ''Educating Father''

References

Citations

Bibliography

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Tatsuta, Shizue 1903 births 1962 deaths Actors from Yamagata Prefecture Japanese silent film actresses 20th-century Japanese actresses