Kusabue Mitsuko

With a career spanning over seven decades, Kusabue Mitsuko originally trained in ballet before joining the Shochiku Opera Company (SKD) in 1950. She made her screen debut in 1953 but soon transferred to Toho, where she signed an exclusive contract in 1954.

At Toho, she became a mainstay of the studio's "Company President" (Shacho) comedy series, often playing geisha or sophisticated madams, showcasing her comic timing and musical background. She proved her dramatic range in Kon Ichikawa's mystery classic The Inugami Family (1976) as the complex Inugami Umeko, a role she revisited in spirit when she played a harp teacher in the director's 2006 remake.

Kusabue has remained a vital presence in Japanese entertainment well into her later years. Her contributions to the arts have been recognized with numerous honors, including the Medal with Purple Ribbon (1999), the Order of the Rising Sun (2005), and recognition as a Person of Cultural Merit in 2024. An avid dog lover, she is also known to fans for her TV appearances with her black labrador, Mellow.