Miki Odagiri

Born: 1930-06-29

Miki Odagiri (小田切美喜) was known primarily for her important and timeless role as the upbeat office girl in Akira Kurosawa's classic Ikiru opposite Takashi Shimura, whose character is dying of cancer, and Miki, as Toyo Odagiri, inspires him to live... just by being herself: bubbly, spontaneous, and optimistic. Her character is also filled with blunt sarcasm that was extremely rare in movies of the early-1950's. Perhaps Miki and Takashi's most memorable scene is when she's telling him the nicknames she created for their fellow workmates... including his! Sadly, beyond Ikiru, finding the handful of other Japanese movies she appeared in, especially on DVD or Blu Ray, is extremely difficult. But she left an impression in what's considered not only one of the legendary Kurosawa's greatest achievements, but one of the best movies ever made, worldwide.


Placeholder

Ikiru

as Toyo
Released: 1952-10-09

Kanji Watanabe is a middle-aged man who has worked in the same monotonous bureaucratic position...

Movie page

Policeman's Diary

as Momoyo
Released: 1955-02-03

Lending money, job hunting for civilians and babysitting. All these things are usually not...

Movie page

The Moon Has Risen

as Fumiya
Released: 1955-01-08

Mokichi is the widowed father of three daughters, with whom he lives on the premises of a temple...

Movie page

Tower of Lilies

as uncredited
Released: 1953-01-09

A group of Okinawan high school girls are drafted as nurses during the American invasion of the...

Movie page

Stakeout

as uncredited
Released: 1958-01-15

Two detectives begin a stakeout based on the slim chance of catching a murderer whom they...

Movie page

Burden of Love

as Teru
Released: 1955-03-18

The female members of the family of the Minister of Health and Welfare, who has just proposed a...

Movie page

続々十代の性典

as uncredited
Released: 1953-09-22

Film directed by Eichi Koishi and starring Wakao Ayako

Movie page

Policeman's Diary, Part 2

as uncredited
Released: 1955-11-16

From runaway brides to a typhoon, the continued adventures of Ushikata police station.

Movie page

Nikoyon monogatari

as uncredited
Released: 1956-09-11

Japanese drama film.

Movie page

Zoku jūdai no seiten

as Misae Numakura
Released: 1953-05-15

Film directed by Saeki Kozo with Wakao Ayako.

Movie page

A Certain Woman

as Tsuya
Released: 1954-03-13

Movie page

The Wild Geese

as Oume
Released: 1953-09-15

A young woman, who must support her father as a middle-aged man's mistress, finds herself...

Movie page

Women's House

as uncredited
Released: 1954-11-23

After Shuichiro moved to Tokyo, the Tanno family became completely female, including Mrs. Tanno,...

Movie page

Striving to Live

as uncredited
Released: 1955-02-25

Yasuichiro Isa, who works in the labor section of Sone Mining Tokyo Headquarters, paid a monthly...

Movie page

Boku chin hōrō-ki

as uncredited
Released: 1962-08-26

1962 Japanese movie

Movie page

Shinran: Path to Purity

as uncredited
Released: 1987-06-02

In the 12th century, Buddhism was still a relatively new religion in Japan. At that time, one...

Movie page

The Street Without Sun

as Fusa-chan
Released: 1954-06-24

Movie page

Jûdai no seiten

as uncredited
Released: 1953-02-05

Film directed by Shima Koji and starring Wakao Ayako

Movie page

Duel at Sundown

as Okatsu
Released: 1955-05-24

A remake of High Noon (1952) as a Japanese jidai-geki sword-fighting movie.

Movie page

Akira Kurosawa: It Is Wonderful to Create: 'Ikiru'

as Interviewee
Released: 2002-10-25

Documentary made by Toho for the Masterworks reissue of all of its Kurosawa films. This one...

Movie page

When a Woman Loves

as Ohana
Released: 1959-09-24

Story of a romance between a middle-aged journalist and a young woman.

Movie page

Pastoral Symphony

as uncredited
Released: 1938-06-11

A priest in Hokkaido adopts a blind orphan girl, and as she grows up he finds himself falling in...

Movie page

Shiosai

as uncredited
Released: 1971-09-24

Lonely youth Shinji meets Hatsue, a pretty pearl diver, on the beach and the two fall in love....

Movie page