
Machiko Kyō
Known for Acting · 92 credits
- Born
- 1924-03-25
- Died
- 2019-05-12
- Place of birth
- Osaka, Osaka Prefecture, Japan
- Also known as
- Machiko Kyô · ماچیکو کیو
Biography
Machiko Kyō (Japanese: 京 マチ子 Hepburn: Kyō Machiko, March 25, 1924 – May 12, 2019) was a Japanese actress whose film work occurred primarily during the 1950s. She rose to extraordinary domestic praise in Japan for her work in two of the greatest Japanese films of the 20th century, Akira Kurosawa's Rashōmon and Kenji Mizoguchi's Ugetsu.
Machiko trained to be a dancer before entering films in 1949. The following year, she would achieve international fame as the female lead in Akira Kurosawa's classic film Rashōmon. Kyō starred in many more Japanese productions, including Kenji Mizoguchi's Ugetsu (1953) and Street of Shame (1956), Teinosuke Kinugasa's Gate of Hell (1953), Kon Ichikawa's Odd Obsession (1959), Yasujirō Ozu's Floating Weeds (1959), and Hiroshi Teshigahara's The Face of Another (1966).
Her only role in a non-Japanese film was as Lotus Blossom, a young geisha, in The Teahouse of the August Moon, starring opposite Marlon Brando and Glenn Ford.
In her eighties, Kyō continued to perform in traditional Japanese theatrical productions put on by famed producer Fukuko Ishii. Her final role was as Matsuura Shino in the NHK television drama series Haregi Koko Ichiban in 2000. Kyō was nominated for a Golden Globe for The Teahouse of the August Moon, a great feat for an Asian actress at the time, and was awarded many prizes, including a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Awards of the Japanese Academy.
Description above from the Wikipedia article Machiko Kyō, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Known For
TV Shows (3)
Movies (89)

Rashomon
1950
as Masako

Princess Yang Kwei-fei
1955
as Princess Yang Kwei-fei

The Face of Another
1966
as Mrs. Okuyama

Ugetsu
1953
as Lady Wakasa

Street of Shame
1956
as Mickey

Odd Obsession
1959
as Ikuko Kenmochi

Floating Weeds
1959
as Sumiko

Gate of Hell
1953
as Lady Kesa

Solar Eclipse
1975

Buddha
1961
as Nandabala

Brother and Sister
1953
as Mon

The Family
1974
as Aiko Takasu

Kurosawa
2000
as Self

The Wandering Princess
1960
as Ryûko Korinkakura / Hiroko Aishinkakura

The Loyal 47 Ronin
1958
as Orui, Spy

Kenji Mizoguchi: The Life of a Film Director
1975
as Self

The Teahouse of the August Moon
1957
as Lotus Blossom

The Tale of Genji
1951
as Awaji no ue

The Great Wall
1962

Born Fighter
1970
as Sue Yoshida

Tora-san's Pure Love
1976
as Aya

The Possessed
1976

The Motherland Far Far Away
1950
as Mari, daughter

Beauty and the Thief
1952
as Sakin

Clothes of Deception
1951
as Kimicho

Tainted Flowers
1958

Hole in One
1957
as Nagako Kita

The Ladder of Success
1958

Black Lizard
1962
as Mrs. Midorikawa

The Beloved Image
1960

The Makioka Sisters
1959

Mother
1958
as Takako Ômachi

The Man Who Laughs Last
1949

Itohan Monogatari
1957
as Okatsu

Sweet Sweat
1964
as Umeko

Dancing Girl
1957
as Chiyomi Hanamura

The Story of Shunkin
1954

A Design for Dying
1961
as Shikiko Oba

The Princess Sen
1954

The Woman Who Touched Legs
1960
as Saya Shiozawa

The Life of a Horse Trader
1951
as Yuki

The Third Will
1963
as Fujiyo Yajima

Make-Up
1984
as Tsune Tsutano

Jigoku bana
1957

Bonchi
1960
as Ofuku

The Daphne
1966
as Kikuko (the eldest daughter)

Jirocho Fuji
1959
as Okatsu

Musume no boken
1958

Operation Teahouse
1956
as Self

Night Butterflies
1957
as Mari

Daiei Studio is Bustling
1957

A Woman's Testament
1960

Thousand Cranes
1969
as Chikako Kurimoto

A Certain Woman
1954
as Yoko Hayazuki

Goodbye, Hello
1959
as Umeko Ichige

A Rainbow at Every Turn
1956

A Fool's Love
1949
as Naomi

A Girl Isn't Allowed to Love
1955

Marriageable Age
1961

Three Women Around Yoshinaka
1956
as Tomoe

Chance Meeting
1958
as Aya Koyanagi

The Last Betrayal
1960
as Chizuru

A Geisha on Horseback
1954
as Nobukichi

A Bullet Hole Underground
1949
as Michiko Kaneko

The Bitch
1951
as Emmy

A Woman's Life
1962
as Kei Nunobiki

The Little Runaway
1966
as Director of the shelter
Dedication of the Great Buddha
1952

Tsukigata Hanpeita
1956
as Hagino

Asakusa at Night
1954
as Setsuko Takashima

Tree of Love
1954

Nuregami botan
1961

I'll Not Forget the Song of Nagasaki
1952

Hanakurabe tanuki-den
1949

Kurohyō
1953

New Women’s Dialogue
1955

The Scarlet Gang of Asakusa
1952
as Ryûko Beni

The Woman and the Pirate
1959
as 綾衣 / お糸

Resurrection
1950
as Yukiko Ohara

Nakayoshi ondo: Nippon ichi dayo
1962

Tôjûrô no koi
1955
as Okaji

Sorrow Is Only for Women
1958

現代インチキ物語 ど狸

The Sea of Beauty
1950

Ôsaka no onna
1958
as Osen

Taki no Shiraito
1952
as Taki no Shiraito

The Legendary Hell
1960
as Oden Takahashi

Paper Pigeon
1959
as Ryoko Kashiwabara

Phoenix
1950
About Machiko Kyō
Machiko Kyō (Japanese: 京 マチ子 Hepburn: Kyō Machiko, March 25, 1924 – May 12, 2019) was a Japanese actress whose film work occurred primarily during the 1950s. She rose to extraordinary domestic praise in Japan for her work in two of the greatest Japanese films of the 20th century, Akira Kurosawa's Rashōmon and Kenji Mizoguchi's Ugetsu. Machiko trained to be a dancer before entering films in 1949. The following year, she would achieve international fame as the female lead in Akira Kurosawa's classic film Rashōmon. Kyō starred in many more Japane… With 92 credits spanning from 1949 to 2000, Machiko Kyō has appeared in 89 films and 3 TV shows.
Fans searching for Machiko Kyō movies, Machiko Kyō filmography, or the latest projects starring Machiko Kyō can stream many of these titles on HinFlix, free and in HD, with no subscription required.
Most Popular Machiko Kyō Movies
- Rashomon (1950) — as Masako
- Princess Yang Kwei-fei (1955) — as Princess Yang Kwei-fei
- The Face of Another (1966) — as Mrs. Okuyama
- Ugetsu (1953) — as Lady Wakasa
- Street of Shame (1956) — as Mickey
Where to Watch Machiko Kyō Films
Most Machiko Kyō movies and series are available to stream on HinFlix in full HD, completely free and without signup. Browse the complete filmography above to jump directly to any title. For more films and the latest web series featuring Machiko Kyō, check our movies catalogue and browse page.


