
Kumeko Urabe
Known for Acting · 192 credits
- Born
- 1902-10-05
- Died
- 1989-10-26
- Place of birth
- Shizuoka, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan
- Also known as
- 浦邊粂子
Biography
Kumeko Urabe (Japanese: 浦辺粂子), born Kimura Kume ((木村 くめ)), (October 5, 1902 – October 26, 1989) was a Japanese movie actress, one of the first in the country. She worked on stage and in film and television. Urabe was born in a rural part of the Shizuoka Prefecture. She lived in several homes while growing up, as she relocated with her father, a Buddhist priest, among the temples to which he was assigned. Urabe completed her education in Numazu, and left school in 1919 to join a theatre company, touring under various stage names as an actor and dancer.
In 1923, Urabe auditioned at the film studio Nikkatsu, and adopted the name Kumeko Urabe, by which she was known for the rest of her life. She appeared in her first film the following year, and continued to act until 1987. She worked with such directors as Kenji Mizoguchi and Mikio Naruse, and performed in over 320 films, including Ikiru, Older Brother, Younger Sister, Portrait of Madame Yuki, She Was Like a Wild Chrysanthemum, and Street of Shame. She also starred in television dramas, including thirteen episodes of Toshiba Sunday Theatre between 1958 and 1980. In the following decade, she carved a niche as a Grandma idol, until her death in 1989.
Known For
TV Shows (2)
Movies (190)

Ikiru
1952
as Tatsu Watanabe

Hachiko
1987
as Tobacco Shop Owner

Floating Weeds
1959
as Shige

Tokyo Twilight
1957
as Komatsu's Mistress

The Song of the Cart
1959

Street of Shame
1956
as Otane

Bridge of Japan
1956

Two in the Shadow
1967

Early Spring
1956
as Shige Kitagawa

Lonely Heart
1985
as Fuki Inoue

Tora-san's Pure Love
1976

Brother and Sister
1953
as Riki - the Mother

Twenty-Four Eyes
1954
as Otoko Sensei no Tsuma

The Life of a Horse Trader
1951
as Onobu

Yearning
1964
as Bar Madam

You Were Like a Wild Chrysanthemum
1955
as Grandmother

Uogashi no senpū musume
1963

Portrait of Madame Yuki
1950
as San

An Innocent Witch
1965

Duel in the Sun
1950
as Boarding house landlady

Snow Country
1957

Snow-Flake
1950

Itohan Monogatari
1957
as Okô

Tomorrow I'll Be a Fire-Tree
1955
as Tomi

The Cold-Hearted Sea
1984

Somewhere Beneath the Wide Sky
1954
as Shige, Ryoichi's stepmother

Game of Chance
1966
as Sugi
Mistress of a Foreigner
1930
as Omatsu

Women of the Night
1948
as Brothel Keeper

The Body
1962

The Straits of Love and Hate
1937
as Ume

Where Chimneys Are Seen
1953
as Kayo Nojima

Goodbye, Hello
1959
as Restaurant owner

Moment of Terror
1966
as Hisako Kanematsu

Stray Dog
1973

The Refugee
1955

Repast
1951
as Taniguchi Shige

The Water Magician
1933
as Ogin

The Passionate Spinster
1965
as Tokiko Tsurukawa

18 Roughs
1963
as Gin Ishii

A Woman's Testament
1960

The Song Lantern
1960

The 26 Martyrs of Japan
1931
as Ohisa, Mother of Antonio

Stakeout
1958
as Proprietress of the Hotel Hizen-ya

Gakusei geisha koi to kenka
1962

Before Spring
1980
as Toyo

Typhoon Over Nagasaki
1957

Fighting Letter for 29 People
1957

A Bridge for Two Alone
1958

Eyes, the Sea and a Ball
1967

The Broken Commandment
1962
as Owner of the hotel

A Man Among Men
1955
as Okimi

Irohanihoheto
1960

Lightning
1952
as Osei

Irresponsible Rascal of Japan
1962

The Story of Shunkin
1954

The Makioka Sisters
1959

A Certain Woman
1954
as Tome

A Woman's Life
1955
as Nobuko's mother

Four and A Half Mats
1966
as Riku

New Snow
1942

Jakoman and Tetsu
1964
as Taka

Twice on a Certain Night
1956

Tokyo Omnibus
1959

Nippon no obaachan
1962
as Waka

The Precipice
1958

Tokyo Eyes
1958

Women Doing Time
1966

Victory and Defeat
1960
as Sato

A Ripple in a Morning
1952

Flower's Yearning
1958
as Muraki Sawa

Love's Family Tree
1961

White Cliffs
1960
A Mother's Love
1950

Chained Bitch
1965

The Bad Guy Blues
1969

Bot-chan
1953
as Kiyo

Sound in the Mist
1956

Mother
1958

Adults Games
1971

Love and the Shop Curtain
1961

The Final Gamble
1970

Hibi no haishin
1958

Teinen Taishoku
1963

Hibari no komoriuta
1951

Saigo no kikyō
1945

Elegy of the North
1957
as Grandma

House of Many Pleasures
1955
as Masa

A Grain of Wheat
1958

Akireta musumetachi
1949

Kono ni uruwashi
1962

The Wild Geese
1953
as Otsune

Being Two Isn't Easy
1962
as Ino

Victory or Defeat
1954

The Tiger of Malaya
1943
as Tomi

Koshū
1962

Ginza Cancan Girls
1949

Shi no machi wo nogarete
1952

俺は死なない
1956

Dupe
1965

Fantasy of Youth
1955

Yanagase Blues
1967
as Kane Sasagawa

And Yet They Go On
1931

Yaneura no Onna-tachi
1956

Confronting Fear
1958

I Sell My Husband
1968

Who Is the Criminal?
1945

The Secret Ceremony
1971
Passion to Soar
1941

The Salaryman's Carefree Life: What a Relaxed Job This Is!
1962

Wedding March
1951
as Auntie
Golden Beast
1950
as Connie Sonobe's mother

Teppo Yasu no Shogai
1962

Kyū-chan ondo
1962

The Feast of Gion
1933

Training Ship of Yearning
1956

Night Scandal
1964
as Shino

母子鶴
1952
as Onao

Koina no Ginpei
1954
Night Mist Makes Women Cry
1962
as Yoshi Namikawa
About Kumeko Urabe
Kumeko Urabe (Japanese: 浦辺粂子), born Kimura Kume ((木村 くめ)), (October 5, 1902 – October 26, 1989) was a Japanese movie actress, one of the first in the country. She worked on stage and in film and television. Urabe was born in a rural part of the Shizuoka Prefecture. She lived in several homes while growing up, as she relocated with her father, a Buddhist priest, among the temples to which he was assigned. Urabe completed her education in Numazu, and left school in 1919 to join a theatre company, touring under various stage names as an actor and… With 192 credits spanning from 1924 to 1987, Kumeko Urabe has appeared in 190 films and 2 TV shows.
Fans searching for Kumeko Urabe movies, Kumeko Urabe filmography, or the latest projects starring Kumeko Urabe can stream many of these titles on Bowood.TV, free and in HD, with no subscription required.
Most Popular Kumeko Urabe Movies
- Ikiru (1952) — as Tatsu Watanabe
- Hachiko (1987) — as Tobacco Shop Owner
- Floating Weeds (1959) — as Shige
- Tokyo Twilight (1957) — as Komatsu's Mistress
- The Song of the Cart (1959)
Where to Watch Kumeko Urabe Films
Most Kumeko Urabe movies and series are available to stream on Bowood.TV in full HD, completely free and without signup. Browse the complete filmography above to jump directly to any title. For more films and the latest web series featuring Kumeko Urabe, check our movies catalogue and browse page.

