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Setsuko Hara(1920-2015)

  • Actress
  • Soundtrack
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Setsuko Hara in Late Spring (1949)
Watch Trailer [OVS]
Play trailer2:10
Late Autumn (1960)
3 Videos
89 Photos
Setsuko Hara became one of Japan's best-loved stars over her 30-year film career. Her signature character type, variations on a daughter devoted to her parents and home, inspired the nickname that stayed with her until retirement: the Eternal Virgin. To some extent, reality mirrored her roles in these films. In a society that considers marriage and parenting almost obligatory, she remained single and childless, something of a controversy in Japan in the 1950s. Fortunately she was popular enough to avoid criticism, but the 1950s were still a hard decade. She was plagued by ill health, missing out on several top roles as a result, and she witnessed the death of her camera-man brother in a freak train accident on set.

In 1963, shortly after the death of her mentor, director Yasujirô Ozu, she suddenly walked away from the film industry. At age 43, and at the height of her popularity, she bluntly refused to perform again, angering her fans, the industry, and the press. She implied acting had never been a pleasure and that she had only pursued a career in order to provide for her large family; this explanation is seen as the cause of her popularity backlash. She moved to a small house in picturesque Kamakura where she remained, living alone (though apparently sociable with friends), and refusing all roles offered.

She is undoubtedly known mostly for her work with Yasujiro Ozu, making six films with the great director, including the so-called Noriko trilogy, of which Tokyo Story (1953) is probably the best-known. She also worked with Akira Kurosawa, Mikio Naruse, Hiroshi Inagaki, and many others.
BornJune 17, 1920
DiedSeptember 5, 2015(95)
BornJune 17, 1920
DiedSeptember 5, 2015(95)
IMDbProStarmeter
See rank
  • Awards

Photos89

Setsuko Hara in Late Autumn (1960)
Setsuko Hara in Late Autumn (1960)
Setsuko Hara in Late Autumn (1960)
Setsuko Hara and Yôko Tsukasa in Late Autumn (1960)
Setsuko Hara in Late Autumn (1960)
Setsuko Hara and Mariko Okada in Late Autumn (1960)
Setsuko Hara and Yôko Tsukasa in Late Autumn (1960)
Setsuko Hara in Late Autumn (1960)
Setsuko Hara and Yôko Tsukasa in Late Autumn (1960)
Setsuko Hara in Late Autumn (1960)
Setsuko Hara in Late Autumn (1960)
Setsuko Hara in Late Autumn (1960)

Known for

Late Spring (1949)
Late Spring
8.2
  • Noriko Somiya
  • 1949
Setsuko Hara and Shûji Sano in Ojôsan kanpai (1949)
Ojôsan kanpai
7.0
  • Yasuko Ikeda
  • 1949
Susumu Fujita and Setsuko Hara in No Regrets for Our Youth (1946)
No Regrets for Our Youth
7.1
  • Yukie Yagihara
  • 1946
Setsuko Hara and Chishû Ryû in Tokyo Story (1953)
Tokyo Story
8.2
  • Noriko Hirayama
  • 1953

Credits

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IMDbPro

Actress

  • Chushingura (1962)
    Chushingura
  • Musume to watashi (1962)
    Musume to watashi
  • The End of Summer (1961)
    The End of Summer
  • Musume to watashi
  • Late Autumn (1960)
    Late Autumn
  • Fundoshi isha
  • Musume tsuma haha (1960)
    Musume tsuma haha
  • The Wayside Pebble
  • The Three Treasures (1959)
    The Three Treasures
  • Onna gokoro
  • Oban kanketsu hen
  • Tôkyô no kyûjitsu
  • Onna de aru koto (1958)
    Onna de aru koto
  • Zokuzoku Ôban: Dotô hen
  • Saigo no dasso

Soundtrack

  • Anjô-ke no butôkai (1947)
    Anjô-ke no butôkai
    • ("The Ball at the Anjo House")
  • Ikari no umi
  • Atarashiki tsuchi (1937)
    Atarashiki tsuchi
    • ("Sakura sakura (aka: Cherry blossoms)")

Videos3

Trailer [OVS]
Trailer 2:10
Trailer [OVS]
Trailer [OV]
Trailer 4:16
Trailer [OV]
Late Spring: The Criterion Collection [Blu-Ray]
Trailer 1:29
Late Spring: The Criterion Collection [Blu-Ray]

Personal details

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    • June 17, 1920
    • Yokohama, Japan
    • September 5, 2015
    • Kanagawa, Japan(pneumonia)
  • Publicity listings
    • 1 Article

Did you know

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  • Trivia
    Her final film, which was a sudden and surprising departure for the star, was Chushingura (1962), which was also the final movie appearance for Japan's first film actor, Unpei Yokoyama.

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