Yoko Shimada, Golden Globe-Winning Japanese Actor, Passes Away Aged 69

Japanese actor Yoko Shimada, known for her portrayal of Mariko in the 1980 miniseries Shōgun, a role which earned her a Golden Globe award and an Emmy nomination, has died. According to Japanese media, Shimada died Monday, July 25 from complications of cancer at a Tokyo hospital, reports Deadline. She was 69.

Shōgun was a mini-series loosely based on the adventures of the English navigator William Adams, who travelled to Japan in the 17th century and rose to the rank of shogun, a military leader. Yoko played the role of Lady Toda Mariko, who represented the real-life person Hosokawa Gracia, a member of the aristocratic Akechi family. She was one of a small number of Japanese actors in the cast who had English-speaking roles, despite not being fluent in the language.

Yoko Shimada death reason

Yoko passed away on Monday in a Tokyo hospital after suffering from multiple organ failure due to colon cancer.

Born in the city of Kumamoto on the Japanese island of Kyushu, Shimada landed her first TV role in the 1970 drama Osanazuma. Her other TV credits include Kamen Rider, Karei-naru Ichizoku and Shiroi Kyoto.

Following Shogun’s worldwide success, Shimada essayed other roles in Hollywood, while continuing to work in Japan, mainly on television. One such international project was Little Champion, a 1981 biopic of Japanese-American marathoner Michiko “Miki” Suwa Gorman with Shimada playing the lead.

Yoko also reportedly fell on hard times with alcohol and debt problems during the 1990s and appeared in a nude photobook in 1992 to raise some cash. The book was popular but it damaged her standing as an actor.

Her last screen role was in the 2016 Saiga Toshiro drama Kanon.

Tributes poured in for Yoko on social media, with one user calling her 'a great actress of her time.' Some called her role in Shogun as 'gentle but steadfast performance,' one mentioned being 'transfixed after the show's first airing.

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