Kouchi Momoko

Descended from a distinguished lineage, Kouchi Momoko was the granddaughter of Viscount Ôkouchi Masatoshi, a prominent physicist and politician. She joined Toho in 1953 as part of their 6th "New Face" class, training alongside future stars Takarada Akira and Sahara Kenji.

She was catapulted to fame with her role as Yamane Emiko in the original Godzilla (1954). However, she soon found herself typecast in science fiction, appearing in the yeti film Half Human (1955) and as the heroine in The Mysterians (1957). Seeking to broaden her range, she left Toho in 1958 to focus on stage acting and television, where she enjoyed a long and varied career.

In a poetic bookend to her film career, she returned to the franchise that made her famous one last time, reprising the role of Emiko in Godzilla vs. Destoroyah (1995). It was her final film appearance before her death from colon cancer in 1998.