Michiyo Aratama

Michiyo Aratama (新珠三千代) was a Japanese film and stage actress.

Biography
After graduating from the Takarazuka Music and Dance School, Aratama joined the Takarazuka Revue in 1945. She gave her film debut in 1951, but it was not before 1955 that she left the Takarazuka Revue, signing first with Nikkatsu film studios, then, after her contract expired, with Toho. She worked for directors such as Mikio Naruse, Yasujirō Ozu and Masaki Kobayashi, appearing in films like The Human Condition, The End of Summer, Kwaidan and 47 Ronin.

From the late 1970s on she concentrated solely on stage and television work. Due to health problems, she reduced her appearances after 1994. She died of heart failure in 2001. Aratama never married.

Awards

 * 1959 Blue Ribbon Award for Best Supporting Actress for The Human Condition and Watashi wa kai ni naritai
 * 1959 Kinema Junpo Award for Best Actress for The Human Condition
 * 1961 Mainichi Film Concour for Best Supporting Actress for The End of Summer and Minami no kaze to nami