Post by The Ultimate Nullifier on Sept 14, 2014 11:17:42 GMT -6
variety.com/2014/film/news/japanese-actress-shirley-yamaguchi-dies-at-94-1201305445/
Chinese-born star had a life that was as dramatic as many of her movies
Mark Schilling
Yoshiko “Shirley” Yamaguchi, who starred in Japanese WWII movies posing as a Chinese, and then post-war segued to fame in Japanese and Hollywood films, has died at age 94.
Yamaguchi died of heart failure at her Tokyo home on Sept. 7, but her family announced the news on Sunday.
Born in 1920 in Manchuria to Japanese parents, Yamaguchi took the name Li Xianglan (in Japanese “Ri Koran”) for her Chinese singing and acting career, presenting herself as local. Her films, including the 1938 “Honeymoon Express” and the 1940 “China Nights,” made her popular with Chinese audiences, while serving the propaganda purposes of her Japanese backers.
After the war she was tried and nearly executed for treason by a Chinese court, but was repatriated to Japan after her true identity became known. In the early post-war years she built a thriving career in both Japan and Hollywood, where her English fluency gave her an edge.
Yamaguchi’s dramatic life, which nearly ended in an early death when she was tried for treason in a postwar Chinese court, has inspired novels and plays including Ian Buruma’s fictionalized version “The China Lover.” After retiring from show biz in 1958 she essayed a successful career in politics, serving in Japan’s Upper House from 1974 to 1992.
Chinese-born star had a life that was as dramatic as many of her movies
Mark Schilling
Yoshiko “Shirley” Yamaguchi, who starred in Japanese WWII movies posing as a Chinese, and then post-war segued to fame in Japanese and Hollywood films, has died at age 94.
Yamaguchi died of heart failure at her Tokyo home on Sept. 7, but her family announced the news on Sunday.
Born in 1920 in Manchuria to Japanese parents, Yamaguchi took the name Li Xianglan (in Japanese “Ri Koran”) for her Chinese singing and acting career, presenting herself as local. Her films, including the 1938 “Honeymoon Express” and the 1940 “China Nights,” made her popular with Chinese audiences, while serving the propaganda purposes of her Japanese backers.
After the war she was tried and nearly executed for treason by a Chinese court, but was repatriated to Japan after her true identity became known. In the early post-war years she built a thriving career in both Japan and Hollywood, where her English fluency gave her an edge.
Yamaguchi’s dramatic life, which nearly ended in an early death when she was tried for treason in a postwar Chinese court, has inspired novels and plays including Ian Buruma’s fictionalized version “The China Lover.” After retiring from show biz in 1958 she essayed a successful career in politics, serving in Japan’s Upper House from 1974 to 1992.