Yoko Shimada

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Yoko Shimada as Mariko (Lady Toda Buntaro) and Richard Chamberlain as John Blackthorne in the Shogun television miniseries.

Yoko Shimada, (島田陽子; born May 17, 1953 in Kumamoto, Japan), is a Japanese actress. She is best known to Western audiences for her portrayal of Mariko (Lady Toda Buntaro) in the 1980 miniseries, Shogun with Richard Chamberlain and Toshiro Mifune. She was the only female member of Shogun's massive cast of Japanese actors shown speaking English, although at the time of production she did not actually know the language, and relied on a dialogue coach to get her through the many pages of dialogue. (She has since learned it.)

Her film and TV career dates back to the early 1970s, and she continues to appear in Japanese and occasional Western productions.

[edit] External links

• Yoko Shimada at The Internet Movie Database
• Yoko Shimada Official WEB Site (Japanese)

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