Tokuko Sugiyama

Known for ActingBorn 1926-08-16Died 2014-08-28Tokyo, Japan

Tokuko Sugiyama (杉山とく子), also known by her birth name and former stage name Tokuko Sugiyama (杉山徳子), was a Japanese actress born on August 16, 1926, in Tokyo. She is renowned for her notable roles in the film "The Town with a View of the Capsule" (キューポラのある街) and the TV dramas "Otoko wa Tsurai yo" (男はつらいよ) and "Wataru Seken wa Oni Bakari Series" (渡る世間は鬼ばかりシリーズ). After completing her education at Jissen Women's Academy Second High School, Sugiyama initially worked as a nursery school teacher and in Chiba Newspaper's advertising department. Her journey into the entertainment industry began when she applied to Toho's New Face audition and later joined the Bungakuza theater company in 1946. Following two years of training, she became a part of the Haiyūza theater company in 1948 and marked her stage debut with "Tooku e no Hitsuji Goya" (遠くへの羊飼い) the same year. Sugiyama's film debut occurred in 1949 with "Shiratori wa Kanashikarazu ya" (白鳥は悲しからずや). She played significant supporting roles throughout her career. Notably, in the TV drama "Otoko wa Tsurai yo," she portrayed Tora-san's sister, Tsune, and featured in various roles in the film series. From 1990 onward, she portrayed Hanako Noda, the mother-in-law of the main character, in the TV drama "Wataru Seken wa Oni Bakari." Even at the age of 66 in 1992, she continued her acting career from a nursing home in Saitama Prefecture. Sugiyama retired from the entertainment industry in 2005, with her final appearance in the 7th series of "Wataru Seken wa Oni Bakari." She passed away on August 28, 2014, at the age of 88 due to liver cancer. Throughout her career, Sugiyama often collaborated with Kunio Yamazaki, Aiko Nagayama, and Akiko Matsuda. She was a recurring cast member in films directed by Yoji Yamada. (Translated from Wikipedia Japan "杉山とく子")Read more

Movies & web series

Flower Season

Auto Town

Bungakusho Satsujin Jiken: Oinaru Jyoso

Tora-san's Promise

Stage-Struck Tora-san

Hearts and Flowers for Tora-san

Foster Daddy, Tora!

Tora-san Plays Cupid

Kobayashi Takiji

The Human Condition I: No Greater Love

Tora-san's Runaway

Foundry Town

A Distant Cry from Spring

Making It Through

War and Flowers

The Village

Great Jailbreak

Tora-san, the Go-Between

Twelve Months

A Taxing Woman

Police Precinct: Nothing Left at the Scene

Final Take: The Golden Age of Movies

The Empty Table

The Wild Swans

Tales of a Golden Geisha

Horus: Prince of the Sun

Village of Dreams

Metamorphosis

The Wives of Rokumeikan

Mofuku no niau hitozuma futari

White-haired Demon

Center of Tokyo

It's Tough Being a Man (Television Drama DVD Edit Edition)

It's Tough Being a Man

Police Precinct: Landfill No. 19

How Do You Live?

The Forest Is Alive