Biography
Tanie Kitabayashi (also credited as 北林谷栄) was a Japanese actress and voice actress. Born Reiko Ando in Tokyo on 21 May 1911, she began her career as a stage actress and became known for portraying older women. She was a founding member of the Mingei Theatre Company, established in 1950.
Kitabayashi appeared in films including Scandal (1950), The Burmese Harp (1956), Children of Hiroshima (1952), The Insect Woman (1963) and Intentions of Murder (1964). She provided the voice of Granny in My Neighbor Totoro (1988). In 1960 she won best actress awards at the Blue Ribbon Awards and Mainichi Film Awards for Kiku to Isamu. She received the Japan Academy Prize for best actress for Rainbow Kids (1991). She died of pneumonia in Tokyo on 27 April 2010, aged 98.
