Yūko Mochizuki

Yūko Mochizuki was a Japanese film and theatre actress who already had long stage experience, first with light comedies, later with dramatic roles, before making her film debut. Mochizuki often appeared in the films of Keisuke Kinoshita, but also worked for prominent directors such as Yasujirō Ozu and Mikio Naruse. She won the Blue Ribbon Award for best supporting actress for Late Chrysanthemums and for best actress for The Rice People and Unagitori. She was also awarded best actress at the 1953 Mainichi Film Awards for her work on A Japanese Tragedy. In 1971, she ran for the House of Councilors election for the Japan Socialist Party. She died of breast cancer in 1977.