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Yoshiko Yamaguchi

Feb 12, 1920 - Sep 07, 2014 (94 years old) in Fushun, Manchuria

Yoshiko Yamaguchi (山口 淑子, Yamaguchi Yoshiko, February 12, 1920 – September 7, 2014), also known by her stage names Shirley Yamaguchi and Li Xianglan, is a China-born Japanese actress and singer who made a career in China, Japan, Hong Kong, and the United States. She was elected as a member of the Japanese Parliament in the 1970s and served for 18 years.

Early in her career, the Manchukuo Film Association concealed her Japanese origin and she went by the Chinese name Li Hsiang-lan (李香蘭), rendered in Japanese as Ri Kōran. This allowed her to represent China in Japanese propaganda movies. After the war, she appeared in Japanese movies under her real name, as well as in several English language movies under the stage name, Shirley Yamaguchi. After becoming a journalist in the 1950s under the name Yoshiko Ōtaka (大鷹 淑子, Ōtaka Yoshiko), she was elected as a member of the Japanese parliament in 1974, and served for 18 years. After retiring from politics, she served as vice president of the Asian Women's Fund. She died at the age of 94 in Tokyo on September 7, 2014.

Known For

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さよなら李香蘭
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House of Bamboo
Mariko
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Scandal
Miyako Saijo
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Yellowface: Asian Whitewashing and Racism in Hollywood
(archive footage)
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The Last Embrace
Yukiko Nogami
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The Legend of the White Serpent
The White Lady
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Navy Wife
Akashi
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Dear Soldier
Singer
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Japanese War Bride
Tae Shimizu
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Angkor Wat Story - Beautiful Sadness
Angela, her teacher

Credits