
Acting
Akiko Wakabayashi
Born
1939-12-13 (86)
Place of birth
Ota, Tokyo Prefecture, Japan
Known for
Acting
Credits
49 titles
Akiko Wakabayashi (born December 13, 1939 in Ōta, Tokyo) is a Japanese actress, best known in English-speaking countries for her role as Bond girl, Aki in the 1967 James Bond movie You Only Live Twice. Prior to this, she made many movies in her native Japan, especially Toho Studio's monster movies such as Dagora, the Space Monster and Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster (both of which were also released under various other titles). When production of You Only Live Twice began, Wakabayashi was originally slated to play the role of Kissy Suzuki whilst her co-star Mie Hama played Suki, one of Tiger Tanaka's top agents. When learning English proved to be a major hurdle to Hama, the women switched…
Known for
6.6A mysterious spacecraft captures Russian and American space capsules and brings the two superpowers to the brink of war. James Bond investigates the case in Japan and comes face to face with his archenemy Blofeld.
You Only Live Twice
1967
6.9The advertising director of Pacific Pharmaceuticals, frustrated with the low ratings of their sponsored TV program, seeks a more sensationalist approach. He orders his staff to Faro Island to capture King Kong for exploitation. As Godzilla re-emerges, a media frenzy generates with Pacific looking to capitalize off of the ultimate battle.
King Kong vs. Godzilla
1962
6.0Shirley's World is a British television sitcom initially aired on ABC during the U.S. 1971-72 television season, then by ITV in the United Kingdom. Co-produced by the British ITC Entertainment and American producer Sheldon Leonard, the short-lived series stars Shirley MacLaine as photojournalist Shirley Logan and John Gregson as her editor Dennis Croft.
Shirley's World
1972
6.6When an underhanded pharmaceutical company goes to a remote tropical island to steal King Kong for advertising purposes, they get more than they bargained for when the gigantic ape attacks an unsuspecting village and an enormous octopus.
King Kong vs. Godzilla
1963
7.0After a meteorite unleashes a three-headed beast upon Tokyo, Mothra tries to unite with Godzilla and Rodan to battle the extraterrestrial threat.
Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster
1964
5.4In comic Woody Allen's film debut, he took the Japanese action film "International Secret Police: Key of Keys" and re-dubbed it, changing the plot to make it revolve around a secret egg salad recipe.
What's Up, Tiger Lily?
1966
Film credits
1960s · 40 titles
6.6A mysterious spacecraft captures Russian and American space capsules and brings the two superpowers to the brink of war. James Bond investigates the case in Japan and comes face to face with his archenemy Blofeld.
You Only Live Twice
1967
6.9The advertising director of Pacific Pharmaceuticals, frustrated with the low ratings of their sponsored TV program, seeks a more sensationalist approach. He orders his staff to Faro Island to capture King Kong for exploitation. As Godzilla re-emerges, a media frenzy generates with Pacific looking to capitalize off of the ultimate battle.
King Kong vs. Godzilla
1962
6.6When an underhanded pharmaceutical company goes to a remote tropical island to steal King Kong for advertising purposes, they get more than they bargained for when the gigantic ape attacks an unsuspecting village and an enormous octopus.
King Kong vs. Godzilla
1963
7.0After a meteorite unleashes a three-headed beast upon Tokyo, Mothra tries to unite with Godzilla and Rodan to battle the extraterrestrial threat.
Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster
1964
5.4In comic Woody Allen's film debut, he took the Japanese action film "International Secret Police: Key of Keys" and re-dubbed it, changing the plot to make it revolve around a secret egg salad recipe.
What's Up, Tiger Lily?
1966
8.0Keiko, whom everyone calls Mama, narrates her story: she's a hostess on the Ginza, 30, a widow. She describes life's vicious cycle: acting cheerful around drunks, dressing and living well to convey confidence, needing money for these expenses and for her demanding mother and brother, and knowing she's growing older.
When a Woman Ascends the Stairs
1960
6.2Osami, a soldier-of-fortune from Japan, joins with priest Ensai in a quest for the ashes of the great Buddha. Their journey takes them to a kingdom in the Middle East, where they find intrigue and romance in the court of an evil king.
Adventure in Kigan Castle
1966
5.9An adventurous and daring sailor sets sail to the castle of an ailing king to stop an evil premier, hungry for power and wealth, from succeeding the throne and marrying the king's beautiful daughter. Along the way, with the help of some courageous rebels and a lustful wizard, he must overcome the powers of a bewitching witch, a band of ruthless pirates, and the castle's Imperial guards. He must also free those kidnapped into slavery and restore the king's reputation.
Samurai Pirate
1963
6.7A floating amorphous life-form descends from the atmosphere to consume carbon in the form of diamonds.
Dogora
1964
7.5Agent Jiro Kitami attempts to stop a smuggling ring from shipping arms to Vietcong guerrillas.
Interpol Code 8
1963
NRMusical comedy starring Watanabe Productions recording stars Nakao, Sono, and Ito as Toho's new "Sannin musume," three young women intended for 1960s audiences what Hibari Misora, Izumi Yukimura, and Chiemi Eri had been in the 50s.
Yes! Yes! 3 Young Girls
1963
7.4Tashiro coincidentally meets his best friend Sugimoto in a bar very close to the apartment in which Sugimoto’s wayward wife is found dead. Although Tashiro is not a suspect in the police investigation, he is racked with guilt and confesses to his wife, Masako. In an effort to further relieve his tortured sense of guilt, he then confesses to Sugimoto. Neither his wife nor his friend can believe that he could have been involved.
The Stranger Within a Woman
1966
7.0Toho-produced crime drama involving the drug trade.
The Weed of Crime
1962
7.0A "hustler's hustler" (Takarada), works his way up the corporate ladder at a camera company. His biggest scheme involves winning the business of a foreign visitor by setting him up with a beautiful "model" (Tsukasa), actually a bar hostess, but the plan backfires when the would-be executive falls for the woman himself.
Anything For Success
1962
8.5In the third installment in the "Kokusai himitsu keisatsu" series, agent Jiro Kitami investigates the mysterious disappearance of a prominent scientist. Edited into Woody Allen's "What's Up, Tiger Lily?" along with the 4th film in the series, "Key of Keys".
A Keg of Powder
1964
9.01961 Japanese movie
Bandits on the Wind
1961
NR1962 Japanese movie
Whirlpool of Love
1962
6.8Intelligence director Suritai asks agent Kitami to steal money from anti-government guerrillas.
Key of Keys
1965
NRTells the story of Shintaro, a lawyer who quits his job to work at a camera factory, and his love adventures.
Our Failures
1962
9.0Based on the comic by Fuyuhiko Okabe.
Achan's Baby Gang
1961
9.01962 Japanese movie
The Crimson Sky
1962
No synopsis available yet.
Ganpā kachō
1961
8.0Seventh movie of the Wakadaishō series directed by Kengo Furusawa.
It Started In The Alps
1966
NR1962 Japanese movie
Pig and Goldfish
1962
10.0Unusual race relations melodrama from West Germany follows a German sailor who meets and weds a Chinese woman while on leave in Hong Kong, only to meet with disapproval from his family and friends when the couple returns to Europe.
Girl from Hong Kong
1961
NR1962 Japanese movie
Kanpai! Sararīman shokun
1962
10.0A young Tokyo couple’s blissful newlywed life is turned upside down when an unexpected pregnancy arrives, sending them on a whirlwind quest for support from eccentric relatives and well-meaning neighbors.
Hello, Baby
1964
10.01962 Japanese movie
Youth Season
1962
9.0World Electric's top ad model disappears, throwing the company into disarray. A fortune-teller’s influence spreads through upper management, sending staff on a misguided search. Misinformation, internal friction, and unexpected revelations push the company to its limits.
New Third Class Executive: Fortune Teller
1960
9.01963 Japanese movie
Sensation Seekers
1963
NRA rebellious heiress clashes with gangsters, dodges an arranged marriage, and unexpectedly falls for a principled lawyer as her father confronts past corruption and starts anew.
Ginza Tomboy
1960
7.8The quaint life of Ottavia, a widow living in Rome, is turned upside down when a young and pretty Japanese girl knocks at her door, claiming to be the daughter of her late husband, an Italian military officer who went to Japan on a secret mission during WWII and reportedly killed in action there.
Akiko
1961
Modern love story about three disparate sisters, one (Tsukasa) of whom who suspects her husband (Kobayashi) has been unfaithful.
Respect, Flatter, and Love
1960
8.0Comedy about a Japanese-American professor, a nuclear scientist, who returns to Japan to search for a typically subservient Japanese wife.
Walleyed Nippon
1963
10.0Romantic action film set against the beautiful backdrop of Rio de Janeiro. Jiro Ibuki has decided to leave the world of the yakuza and live with his fiancée Reiko.
Diamonds of the Andes
1968
NR1962 Japanese movie
Sararīman Gonza to Sukejū ren'ai kōsa-ten
1962
NRA newlywed couple moves into an apartment complex where each family faces everyday problems.
More Than 10,000 Women But...
1966
NRUntaro Tatsumura, a pioneer of the salaryman class, had retired from active duty and was living a leisurely life in Ito with his wife, while serving as an advisor to seven companies. However, when he announced that he intended to donate his estate to social welfare causes, the Tatsumura household was thrown into an uproar.
A Salaryman's Reckless Family
1963
8.0Action melodrama.
Reporters from the Sky
1960
7.0Episodic, globe-trotting quasi-mondo focused on women of the East.
The Orientals
1960
1950s · 8 titles
10.0Ultra-perky model likes single freedom but feels ryosai kenbo ("good wife, wise mother") pressure, exemplified by her bored-to-tears sister.
All About Marriage
1958
6.2A promising post-graduate literature student is transformed into a psychotic killer following the suicide of his father and a sleazy affair by his mother with a younger man.
The Beast Shall Die
1959
10.0An Ishiro Honda film.
Song for a Bride
1958
NRBased on the novel "Kyokatsu" ("Blackmail") by Ichiro Kashiwara.
Don't Make a Mistake!
1958
NRA young detective tries to determine whether a mysterious death was the result of murder or self-defense.
In Self-Defense
1958
7.0Story of rebellious youth follows the 19-year-old son of a Hokkaido farmer who has an affair with the daughter of a wealthy trading company president.
The Terrible Game
1959
9.0Crime melodrama about two detectives (Ikebe and Arashima) and one detective's trumpet-playing son (Sato) who become involved in a complex murder investigation.
The Entrapped Gangster
1959
10.0A private detective and a colleague investigate a man for a wealthy young lady.
Female Detective Story: S.O.S Woman
1958
