Mari Natsuki
Encyclopedia
Mari Natsuki real name Junko Nakajima (中島 淳子 Nakajima Junko; born 2 May 1952), is a Japan
ese singer, dancer and actress.
She was born in Tokyo
, Japan
, and started work as a singer from a very young age, her specialty being jazz and a level of sensuality that was somewhat shocking at the time.
She did not marry, which made her quite an icon
. But in 2007 she announced that she was engaged to marry percussionist Nobu Saito in spring 2008.
Today she continues to work as a singer and performer, as well as an actress. She participates in a wide variety of musical theatre including that of Yukio Ninagawa
. She provided the voice of the witch Yubaba in Hayao Miyazaki
's movie, Spirited Away
, played the young witch's mother in the TV remake of Bewitched in Tokyo, and has twice been nominated for a Japanese Academy Award
. She plays the character Big Mama in the Japanese version of Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots
. She has also acted in television dramas, such as the 2005 series Nobuta wo Produce
, in which she played the Vice Principal, Katharine.
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese singer, dancer and actress.
She was born in Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, and started work as a singer from a very young age, her specialty being jazz and a level of sensuality that was somewhat shocking at the time.
She did not marry, which made her quite an icon
Icon
An icon is a religious work of art, most commonly a painting, from Eastern Christianity and in certain Eastern Catholic churches...
. But in 2007 she announced that she was engaged to marry percussionist Nobu Saito in spring 2008.
Today she continues to work as a singer and performer, as well as an actress. She participates in a wide variety of musical theatre including that of Yukio Ninagawa
Yukio Ninagawa
is a Japanese theatre director, particularly known for his Japanese language productions of Shakespeare plays and Greek tragedies. He has directed Hamlet differently six times....
. She provided the voice of the witch Yubaba in Hayao Miyazaki
Hayao Miyazaki
is a Japanese manga artist and prominent film director and animator of many popular anime feature films. Through a career that has spanned nearly fifty years, Miyazaki has attained international acclaim as a maker of animated feature films and, along with Isao Takahata, co-founded Studio Ghibli,...
's movie, Spirited Away
Spirited Away
is a 2001 Japanese animated fantasy-adventure film written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki and produced by Studio Ghibli. The film tells the story of Chihiro Ogino, a sullen ten-year-old girl who, while moving to a new neighborhood and after her parents are transformed into pigs by the witch Yubaba,...
, played the young witch's mother in the TV remake of Bewitched in Tokyo, and has twice been nominated for a Japanese Academy Award
Japanese Academy Awards
The , often called the Japan Academy Awards or the Japanese Academy Awards, is a series of awards given annually since 1978 by the Nippon Academy-shō Association for excellence in Japanese film...
. She plays the character Big Mama in the Japanese version of Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots
Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots
is a video game developed by Kojima Productions for the PlayStation 3 console. The game was directed by Hideo Kojima and made its worldwide release on June 12, 2008, ten years after the release of Metal Gear Solid and twenty years after the North American release of Metal Gear.Guns of the Patriots...
. She has also acted in television dramas, such as the 2005 series Nobuta wo Produce
Nobuta wo Produce
is a Japanese drama produced and aired in 2005 by NTV. The television show is based on the book of the same name by Gen Shiraiwa...
, in which she played the Vice Principal, Katharine.
Filmography
- 20072007 in filmThis is a list of major films released in 2007.-Top grossing films:Please note that following the tradition of the English-language film industry, these are the top grossing films that were first released in the USA in 2007...
SakuranSakuran, is a manga series created by Moyoco Anno. The manga is about a girl, Kiyoha who becomes a tayu or oiran courtesan.- Plot :... - 20042004 in filmThe year 2004 in film involved some significant events. Major releases of sequels took place. It included blockbuster films like Shrek 2, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, The Passion of the Christ, Meet the Fockers, Blade: Trinity, Spider-Man 2, Alien vs. Predator, Kill Bill Vol...
Okusama wa majo - 20022002 in filmThe year 2002 in film involved some significant events. The first significant releases of sequels took place between The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones, Men in Black II, Analyze That, Spy Kids 2: The Island of...
Ping PongPing Pong (film)is a 2002 sports film directed by the Japanese filmmaker Fumihiko Sori. It is based on Taiyō Matsumoto's manga of the same name and is about the friendship between two high school table tennis players.... - 20012001 in filmThe year 2001 in film involved some significant events, including the first of the Harry Potter series and also the first of The Lord of the Rings trilogy...
Spirited AwaySpirited Awayis a 2001 Japanese animated fantasy-adventure film written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki and produced by Studio Ghibli. The film tells the story of Chihiro Ogino, a sullen ten-year-old girl who, while moving to a new neighborhood and after her parents are transformed into pigs by the witch Yubaba,... - 20012001 in filmThe year 2001 in film involved some significant events, including the first of the Harry Potter series and also the first of The Lord of the Rings trilogy...
Shôjo (or Shoujyo) ("An Adolescent") - 19981998 in film-Events:* February 14 - Sharon Stone marries Phil Bronstein.* Former child star Gary Coleman is charged with assaulting a young female bus driver at a California shopping mall.-Top grossing films:...
Samurai FictionSamurai Fictionis a 1998 comedy-samurai film directed by Hiroyuki Nakano. It is almost entirely black-and-white, and follows a fairly standard plotline for a comedy and jidaigeki samurai film, but the presence of Tomoyasu Hotei's rock-and-roll soundtrack separates it from the films it was inspired by, such as the... - 19951995 in film-Top grossing films:-Events:* March 22 - The Dogme 95 movement is officially announced in Paris by Danish directors Lars von Trier and Thomas Vinterberg.* March 28 - Actress Julia Roberts and singer Lyle Lovett announce their plans for separation....
The HuntedThe Hunted (1995 film)The Hunted is a 1995 film written and directed by J. F. Lawton, starring Christopher Lambert, John Lone, and Joan Chen. The score features music by the Japanese taiko troupe Kodō.-Plot:... - 19891989 in film-Events:* Batman is released on June 23, and goes on to gross over $410 million worldwide.* Actress Kim Basinger and her brother Mick purchase Braselton, Georgia, for $20 million...
Otoko wa tsurai yo: Boku no ojisan - 19861986 in film-Events:*April 12 - Actor Morgan Mason marries The Go-Go's Belinda Carlisle.*April 26 - Actor Arnold Schwarzenegger marries television journalist Maria Shriver.*May - Actress Heather Locklear marries Mötley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee....
Jittemai - 19861986 in film-Events:*April 12 - Actor Morgan Mason marries The Go-Go's Belinda Carlisle.*April 26 - Actor Arnold Schwarzenegger marries television journalist Maria Shriver.*May - Actress Heather Locklear marries Mötley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee....
Death PowderDeath PowderDeath Powder is a 1986 science fiction/horror film written and directed by Japanese poet/folk singer Shigeru Izumiya. It is credited as being the first core film of the Japanese Cyberpunk sub-genre that emerged during the 1980s, predating both Katsuhiro Otomo's anime film adaptation of Akira and... - 19841984 in film-Events:* The Walt Disney Company founds Touchstone Pictures to release movies with subject matter deemed inappropriate for the Disney name.* Tri-Star Pictures, a joint venture of Columbia Pictures, HBO, and CBS, releases its first film....
Kita no hotaru - 19831983 in film-Events:*February 11 - The Rolling Stones concert film Let's Spend the Night Together opens in New York*May 25 - Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi, the final film in the original Star Wars trilogy, is released. Like the previous films, it goes on to become the top grossing picture of...
Satomi Hakkenden (Legend of the Eight Samurai)
External links
- Natsuki Mari Official homepage (in Japanese)
- List of roles on allcinema.net (in JapaneseJapanese languageis a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
)