Mariko Miyagi
Description
Mariko Miyagi was a Japanese actress, singer, and voice actor born on March 21, 1927, in Tokyo. She began her entertainment career as a vaudeville performer and singer in the mid-1940s, achieving popularity with hit songs in the 1950s and making multiple appearances on the prestigious Kōhaku Uta Gassen music television program. Her work in live-action film included roles in productions such as Kon Ichikawa's Ten Dark Women.
In the realm of anime, Miyagi is most noted for her work in the early years of Japanese feature-length animation. She provided the voices for multiple characters in the 1958 Toei Animation film The White Snake Enchantress, also known as Hakujaden. This production is historically significant as Japan's first feature-length color animated film, and Miyagi voiced the heroine Bai-Niang, as well as the characters Mimi and Xiaoqing. Her performance in this landmark film is considered influential, with animator Hayao Miyazaki later citing it as an inspiration for his own career.
Miyagi continued to lend her voice to subsequent Toei animated features. In the 1975 film Hans Christian Andersen's The Little Mermaid, she voiced the character Fritz the Dolphin. She also had a voice role in the 1978 animated film Thumbelina.
Beyond her performance career, Miyagi was recognized for her extensive humanitarian work. In 1968, she used her own funds to establish Nemunoki Gakuen, the first care facility and school in Japan for children with physical and intellectual disabilities. She remained actively involved in its operation for decades and documented the lives of the children there in several films she directed and produced, including The Song of Nemunoki. Her dedication to this cause was so significant that her work became the subject of a 1981 anime television special titled A Little Love Letter: Mariko and the Children of Nemunoki. In 2012, she was awarded the Order of the Sacred Treasure by the Emperor of Japan in recognition of her contributions. Mariko Miyagi passed away on her birthday, March 21, 2020, at the age of 93.
In the realm of anime, Miyagi is most noted for her work in the early years of Japanese feature-length animation. She provided the voices for multiple characters in the 1958 Toei Animation film The White Snake Enchantress, also known as Hakujaden. This production is historically significant as Japan's first feature-length color animated film, and Miyagi voiced the heroine Bai-Niang, as well as the characters Mimi and Xiaoqing. Her performance in this landmark film is considered influential, with animator Hayao Miyazaki later citing it as an inspiration for his own career.
Miyagi continued to lend her voice to subsequent Toei animated features. In the 1975 film Hans Christian Andersen's The Little Mermaid, she voiced the character Fritz the Dolphin. She also had a voice role in the 1978 animated film Thumbelina.
Beyond her performance career, Miyagi was recognized for her extensive humanitarian work. In 1968, she used her own funds to establish Nemunoki Gakuen, the first care facility and school in Japan for children with physical and intellectual disabilities. She remained actively involved in its operation for decades and documented the lives of the children there in several films she directed and produced, including The Song of Nemunoki. Her dedication to this cause was so significant that her work became the subject of a 1981 anime television special titled A Little Love Letter: Mariko and the Children of Nemunoki. In 2012, she was awarded the Order of the Sacred Treasure by the Emperor of Japan in recognition of her contributions. Mariko Miyagi passed away on her birthday, March 21, 2020, at the age of 93.
All Characters
- JapaneseAnime overview: The White Snake
- JapaneseAnime overview: The White Snake
- JapaneseAnime overview: Hans Christian Andersen's The Little Mermaid
- JapaneseAnime overview: The White Snake