Shizuko Hoshi
Shizuko Hoshi is a Japanese-American actress, theater director, dancer and choreographer. Born in Japan,[1] she is a graduate of Tokyo Women's College and University of Southern California.[2] She was married to actor Mako, the founding artistic director of East West Players in Los Angeles, and worked closely with the Asian-American theatre company from 1965 to 1989.
Shizuko Hoshi | |
---|---|
Born | Japan |
Occupation(s) | Actress, theater director, dancer, choreographer |
Years active | 1972โ2005 |
Spouse | Mako |
Children | 2 |
Career
Shizuko Hoshi arrived in the United States in 1957 and enrolled at the University of Southern California. Hoshi won the US Open women's singles titles in table tennis in 1958 and 1959. She stopped tournament play following her marriage to Mako.[2]
While at East West Players, Hoshi received many awards for performance, directing and choreography, including a Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award for Featured Performance in Wakako Yamauchi's And the Soul Shall Dance,[3] as well as Drama-Logue Awards for Best Director for Hokusai Sketchbooks, Asa ga Kimashita, A Chorus Line and Mishima.[4] Her film credits include Memoirs of a Geisha, Come See the Paradise and M. Butterfly.
She appeared in the indie film, Charlotte Sometimes and narrated the Academy Award-winning Live Action Short Film, Visas and Virtue. She has also appeared on television, in such shows as Chicago Hope and M*A*S*H*. In 1995, Hoshi co-directed the English language premiere of the Japanese comedy The Fall Guy off-Broadway in New York City.
Personal life
Hoshi was married to Mako until his death in 2006. They have two daughters (both of whom are actresses) and two grandchildren.[5]
Filmography
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1985 | Sylvester | Mrs. Daniels | |
1990 | Come See the Paradise | Mrs. Kawamura | |
1993 | M. Butterfly | Comrade Chin | |
2002 | Charlotte Sometimes | Aunt | |
2005 | Memoirs of a Geisha | Sayuri Narration | voice |
Television
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1972โ73 | The Bob Newhart Show | Hostess/The Waitress | 2 episodes |
1974 | Fer-de-lance | Suan Kuroda | TV movie |
1975 | Police Story | Bin Han | Episode: "Year of the Dragon: Part 2" |
The Six Million Dollar Man | Japanese Woman | Episode: "The Wolf Boy" | |
1977 | Quincy M.E. | Mom Kamura | Episode: Touch of Death |
Starsky and Hutch | Mrs. Hong | Episode: Manchild on the Streets | |
1978 | My Husband Is Missing | Vice Consul | TV movie |
1974โ1979 | M*A*S*H | Mrs.Li/Mother/The Mother | 4 episodes |
1982 | Dangerous Company | Mrs. Hikaru | TV movie |
1983 | Baby Sister | Mrs. Chang | TV movie |
1990 | Hiroshima: Out of the Ashes | Nurse Yama | TV movie |
1996 | Chicago Hope | Baby Doctor | Episode: The Parent Rap |
1997 | Visas and Virtue | Narrator (as Elderly Mrs. Sugihara) | Short |
1998 | C-16: FBI | Episode: My Brother's Keeper | |
1999 | Independent Lens | Narrator | Segment "Visas and Virtue" |
References
- Lee, Esther Kim (2006). A History of Asian American Theatre. Cambridge, United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press. p. 149. ISBN 978-0521850513.
- "Susie" Hoshi early history in table tennis
- LA Drama Critics Circle winners (1977) Archived 2010-10-08 at the Wayback Machine
- Awards history Archived 2007-11-19 at the Wayback Machine on EWP website
- "Mako, 72, Actor Who Extended Asian-American Roles, Dies". The New York Times. July 25, 2006. Retrieved May 24, 2017.