On May 16th, 2018, veteran actress Yuriko Hoshi passed away. Hoshi lost the battle to lung cancer and died in Kyoto, Japan. She was 74.
Part of Toho's early stable of young actors and actresses, Hoshi began her career in the late 1950s. Dubbed Toho's "Madonna" of the Japanese Golden Age by historian August Ragone, Hoshi acted in over ninety movies for six decades.
Although she starred in plenty of movies ranging from comedies, dramas and musicals, fans know her best for her work in the Godzilla series. After dipping her toes in Toho special effects fare with The Last War (1961) she appeared in Ishiro Honda's Godzilla titles from 1964--The masterful Mothra vs. Godzilla and the fan favorite Ghidorah: The Three Headed Monster. In Mothra vs. Godzilla she gave a heartfelt performance as photographer Junko Nakanishi, pleading Infant Islanders to save her country. And in Ghidorah's debut, she played the assertive reporter Naoko Shindo--Both aiding and infuriating her policeman-brother.
As the years grew longer, Hoshi would largely take on television roles. In 1997 the Japanese Academy recognized her with a supporting actress nomination for Night Trains to the Stars (1996)--Though she lost out to Eriko Watanabe.
2000 saw her return to the Godzilla series in Masaaki Tezuka's debut film, Godzilla vs. Megaguirus. She played Professor Yoshino Yoshizawa, head of the Dimension Tide project.
Love and prayer goes to her family during this difficult time. Fans will miss the Tokyo native's deliberate spunk on screen and the humanity she injected into the series.
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Sources:
August Ragone's Official Twitter
Bloody Disgusting
20th Japanese Academy Awards Official Website
Shreeonk
Godzilla Series Star Yuriko Hoshi Passes Away
