
Yōko Minamida (南田 洋子, Minamida Yōko, March 1, 1933 – October 21, 2009) was a Japanese actress. Born in Tokyo, Minamida made her screen debut in 1953 for the Daiei studio and quickly rose to stardom, working with Kenji Mizoguchi on two films: “A Story from Chikamatsu” and “Princess Yang Kwei-fei.” In 1955, she moved to the Nikkatsu studio, where she starred in Takumi Furukawa’s “Season of the Sun” (1956), a smash hit that launched the so-called “Sun Tribe” boom for films about rebellious youth looking for sex and kicks on Shonan Beach — Japan’s nearest equivalent to Malibu. Minamida acted in dozens of movies for Nikkatsu, working with Shohei Imamura, Seijun Suzuki, and other directors. In 1961 she married her co-star on “Season of the Sun,” Hiroyuki Nagato. As she acted in fewer movies after the mid-1960s, Minamida made a smooth and successful transition to TV as both an actress and MC. She also continued to appear occasionally in movies, with the last being Nobuhiko Obayashi’s “Song of Goodbye” in 2006. She was diagnosed with Alzheimer's in November 2008, and a TV documentary was made about her condition and the efforts of her husband to care for her. She died in Tokyo.

Niji
TV • 1970

Gokusen
TV • 2002

Yôi don
TV • 1982

Tears of a Swan
TV • 1989

House
MOVIE • 1977

Akai Shougeki
TV • 1976

Lost Paradise
TV • 1997

Stolen Desire
MOVIE • 1958

Lone Wolf
MOVIE • 1960

Pigs and Battleships
MOVIE • 1961

Zero
MOVIE • 1984

The Kanto Scarlet Cherry Gang
MOVIE • 1972

Chikamatsu Monogatari
MOVIE • 1954

Last Round
MOVIE • 1962

At Noon
MOVIE • 1978

The Motive
MOVIE • 2004

A Sun-Tribe Myth from the Bakumatsu Era
MOVIE • 1957

Jungle Block
MOVIE • 1960