TOKYO - Japanese actor Tamao Nakamura, known for her roles in numerous period dramas and funny comments during appearances on TV shows, has died, her talent agency said Friday. She was 86.
Born into a famous Kabuki family, one of the children of Nakamura Ganjiro II, the Kyoto Prefecture native made her film debut in 1953 when she was a second-year junior high school student.
Nakamura, who died of pneumonia in Tokyo on Tuesday according to Nagara Production Ltd., starred alongside Kabuki and film star Ichikawa Raizo in classics "Conflagration," the 1958 adaptation of Yukio Mishima's novel, and "Bonchi," both directed by legendary Kon Ichikawa.
She won the country's Blue Ribbon best supporting actress award for her work in "Bonchi" and "Daibosatsu Toge," which were released in 1960.
Two years later, Nakamura married actor Shintaro Katsu and supported him through his eventful life including the bankruptcy of his film production and his arrests for the possession of illegal drugs.
In recent years, she became a visible figure on TV and gained fans for her down-to-earth personality.
