Sumiko Fuji | |
|---|---|
富司 純子 | |
 Sumiko Fuji (1965) | |
| Born | Junko Shundo (俊藤 純子) (1945-12-01)December 1, 1945 (age 79) Gobō, Wakayama, Japan |
| Other names | Junko Fuji |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1963–present |
| Spouse | Onoe Kikugorō VII |
| Children | |
Junko Terashima (Japanese:寺島 純子,Hepburn:Terashima Junko, born 1 December 1945), known professionally asSumiko Fuji (富司 純子,Fuji Sumiko), is a Japaneseactress. She began acting in the 1960s under the nameJunko Fuji (藤 純子,Fuji Junko), becoming famous as the female lead inyakuza films opposite such stars asKōji Tsuruta andKen Takakura. She even starred in her own series as the sword-wielding gambler Red Peony in theHibotan Bakuto series. Initially retiring in 1972 after getting married, she began appearing on TV in 1974 under her real name. She later returned to films in 1989 using the name Sumiko Fuji, and expanded her acting repertoire. She won theBlue Ribbon Award for best supporting actress in 1999[1] and 2006.[2] She is married to thekabuki actorOnoe Kikugorō VII and is the mother of the actressShinobu Terajima and the kabuki actorOnoe Kikunosuke V.
Fuji was born inWakayama as the third child and younger daughter of future film producer Koji Shundo.[3] Her family eventually moved toOsaka, where, as a big fan ofTakarazuka Revue, Fuji started to attend a dancing, singing and acting school during junior high.[3] At 17 her family moved toKyoto, shortly after which her and her older sister Nobuko started to appear on the local TV showHai Hai, Mahinadesu.[3] After visitingToei's Kyoto studio, Fuji attracted the attention of directorMasahiro Makino, who invited her to appear in one of his films. Although Shundo initially opposed his daughter entering show business, wanting a "normal" life for her instead, he acquiesced figuring it would be better she work for Toei instead of their rivals.[3]
In 1963, Fuji made her film debut in Makino'sHashu Yukyoden: Otoko no Sakazuki, and went on to appear in 10 movies that year while making regular appearances onNHK andTV Asahi television dramas.[3]Mark Schilling wrote that by the mid-1960s, Fuji was the leading actress for Toei, often playing the love interest forKōji Tsuruta andKen Takakura inNinkyo eiga.[3] But she reached her peak in popularity between 1968 and 1972, starring as a sword-wielding gambler in theHibotan Bakuto series of films.[3] In 1972, Fuji married akabuki actor she met while making the NHK dramaMinamoto no Yoshitsune.[3] After making Makino'sKanto Hizakura Ikka, she retired from acting that same year. Schilling wrote that the popularity ofNinkyo eiga subsequently declined, and a search for a successor failed.[3]
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