Yoshiko Kuga

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
- Acting
- Born
- 1931-01-21 · Ushigome, Japon
- Died
- 2024-06-09
Known for
- Good Morning (1959) — Setsuko Arita
- Drunken Angel (1948) — Schoolgirl
- Godzilla vs. Biollante (1989) — Prime Minister's Wife
- Equinox Flower (1958) — Fumiko Mikami
- The Idiot (1951) — Ayako
- Cruel Story of Youth (1960) — Yuki
- The Woman in the Rumor (1954) — Yukiko Mabuchi
- Love Letter (1953) — Michiko Kubota
- Taira Clan Saga (1955) — Tokiko
- Portrait of Madame Yuki (1950) — Hamako Abe
- Samurai Banners (1969)
- Zero Focus (1961) — Teiko Uhara
- Brother and Sister (1953) — San
- Heroic Age (2007) — Mechanical Designer
- Daredevil in the Castle (1961) — Kobue
- The Garden of Women (1954) — Akiko Hayashino