Yoko Shimada obit

Japanese actress Yoko Shimada, star of 1980 TV series Shogun, dies aged 69

 

 She was not on the list.

In 1980, the star appeared in the TV mini-series 1980 as Mariko Toda, a performance that earned her a Golden Globe win and an Emmy nomination.

According to Japanese media, she died on Monday July 25 after suffering from multiple organ failure due to colorectal cancer at a hospital in Tokyo.

Shimada’s acting career spanned from the early 1970s, appearing in TV productions including Kamen Rider, Karei-naru Ichizoku and Shiroi Kyoto.

She also appeared in multiple films, including the 1974 police procedural movie Castle of Sand, which was nominated for the Golden Prize at the Moscow International Film Festival.

Born in the city of Kumamoto on the Japanese island of Kyushu in 1953, Shimada bagged her first TV role in the 1970 drama Osanazuma.

She was one of a small number of people in Shogun who had English-speaking roles, despite not being fluent in the language. She starred with Richard Chamberlain in the film.

The mini-series – a remake of which is coming out later this year based on the novel of the same name by James Clavell – was loosely based on the adventures of English navigator William Adams, who travelled to Japan in the 17th century and rose to the rank of shogun, a military leader.

Shimada played Lady Toda Mariko, who represented the real-life person Hosokawa Gracia, a member of the aristocratic Akechi family.

In 1981, Shogun won the accolade for best drama series at the Golden Globes, while Shimada won in the category of best television actress in a drama series, beating Barbara Bel Geddes, Melissa Gilbert, Linda Gray and Stefanie Powers.

n 1981, she starred in Little Champion, playing the lead role of marathon runner Michiko ‘Miki’ Suwa Gorman, who in real life remains the only woman to have won the Boston and New York City marathons twice.

Tributes to the late actress were made on social media, with one person writing: ‘I just learned that actress Yoko Shimada, who performed on Shogun as Lady Toda Mariko, has passed away today. She also performed on Castle of Sand and in Go Go Kamen Rider. Very sad news for 🇯🇵 cinema & television. All my condolences to her family, friends, and work colleagues.’

‘Why is fate sometimes so cruel,’ someone else said, while another fan described her as ‘unforgettable’ in Shogun.