Yoshiko Kuga

Biography

Yoshiko Kuga (久我 美子, Kuga Yoshiko, 21 January 1931 – 9 June 2024) was a Japanese actress. Kuga was born in Tokyo, Japan. In 1946, while still attending Gakushuin Junior High School, she became an actress for Toho studios. In 1947, she made her debut as one of the lead actresses in the omnibus movie Four Love Stories (四つの恋の物語, Yottsu no Koi no Monogatari). In the 1950s, she started working independently and starred in many productions of the Shochiku studios under the direction of Keisuke Kinoshita. Other important directors include Kenji Mizoguchi (The Woman in the Rumor), Yasujirō Ozu (Equinox Flower), and Tadashi Imai (An Inlet of Muddy Water). Since the 1970s, she appeared mainly on television and on stage. Kuga was married to actor Akihiko Hirata from 1961 until his death in 1984. She died from aspiration pneumonia on 9 June 2024, at the age of 93.

Known For

Good Morning

as Setsuko Arita

Drunken Angel

as Schoolgirl

Godzilla vs. Biollante

as Prime Minister's Wife

Equinox Flower

as Fumiko Mikami

The Idiot

as Ayako

Cruel Story of Youth

as Yuki

The Woman in the Rumor

as Yukiko Mabuchi

Taira Clan Saga

as Tokiko

Portrait of Madame Yuki

as Hamako Abe

Love Letter

as Michiko Kubota