--- name: "Tanie Kitabayashi" canonical: "https://film.one/person/tanie-kitabayashi" fi1m_id: "tanie-kitabayashi" imdb_id: "nm0457498" tmdb_id: 55666 wikidata_id: "Q3547309" roles: ["Actor"] born: "21 May 1911" died: "27 April 2010" reviewed_on_fi1m: 1 average_as: "actor" average_over: 1 updated: "2026-09-25T07:44:07.680590+00:00" licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Tanie Kitabayashi ## Identity Tanie Kitabayashi - **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/tanie-kitabayashi - **Type:** Person - **Fi1m ID:** tanie-kitabayashi - **IMDb ID:** nm0457498 - **TMDB ID:** 55666 - **Wikidata ID:** Q3547309 - **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tanie_Kitabayashi, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q3547309, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0457498/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/55666 Actor. Born 21 May 1911 in Tokyo, Japan. Died 27 April 2010. ## Details - **Work:** Actor - **Born:** 21 May 1911, Tokyo, Japan - **Died:** 27 April 2010 - **Also known as:** Таниэ Китабаяси, 北村谷栄, 北林 谷栄 - **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tanie_Kitabayashi, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q3547309, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0457498/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/55666 ## Streaming the US now - **HBO Max:** [*My Neighbor Totoro*](https://film.one/film/my-neighbor-totoro.md) (89) For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country. ## 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. *Sources: en.wikipedia.org, imdb.com.* ## On Fi1m (1) - *My Neighbor Totoro* (1988), Fi1m 89, as Granny (voice) — [page](https://film.one/film/my-neighbor-totoro.md) ## Complete filmography (169) Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page. - *Yomigaeri* (2003), as Saki Naito - *Letter from the Mountain* (2002), as Oume - *Rainbow Kids* (1991), as Mrs. Toshiko 'Toji' Yanagawa - *Rikyu* (1989), as Mother - *My Neighbor Totoro* (1988), as Granny (voice) — Fi1m 89, [page](https://film.one/film/my-neighbor-totoro.md) - *Yamada Village Waltz* (1988), Actor - *Twilight of the Cockroaches* (1987), as Torah (voice) - *The Burmese Harp* (1985), as Old Woman - *Love: Starting on a Journey* (1985), Actor - *Haze of Love* (1985), Actor - *Dangerous Women* (1985), as Mrs. Kinumura - *White Snake Enchantment* (1983), as Tane - *Our Teacher* (1983), Actor - *Tora-san's Song of Love* (1983), Actor - *Amagi Pass* (1983), as Tea house's old woman - *The Legend of Sayo* (1982), Actor - *Suspicion* (1982), as Harue Shirakawa - *Station* (1981), as Masayo Mikami - *Call from Darkness* (1981), as Sukeno - *Kanebo Human Special: Pediatric Ward - Her devoted love saved Taro's soul* (1980), Actor - *Writhing Tongue* (1980), as Akira's mother - *Gassan* (1979), Actor - *The Three Undelivered Letters* (1979), Actor - *Nomugi Pass* (1979), Actor - *Never Give Up* (1978), as Kiyo Matsushita - *The Incident* (1978), as Kane Shinozaki - *Proof of the Man* (1977), Actor - *The Wild Daisy* (1977), as Tamiko's Grandmother - *The Possessed* (1976), Actor - *The Sea of Eden* (1976), Actor - *Kobayashi Takiji* (1974), Actor - *Musume-tachi wa kaze ni mukatte* (1972), as Moko's mother - *Kamishibai Showa History: The Golden Bat is Here* (1972), Actor - *My Voiceless Friends* (1972), Actor - *Umarekawatta Tamegorō* (1972), as Uma Ōnuma - *Price of Life* (1971), as Tome - *Mysterious Thirteen Nights: Chapter 3 - The Mysterious Haunted Mansion* (1971), Actor - *Patience Has An End* (1971), Actor - *A Woman Called En* (1971), Actor - *Mayuko hitori* (1971), series, as 加野のぶ - *Pure Land, Poisoned Sea* (1970), as Goze / Narrator (voice) - *おくさまは18歳* (1970), series, as Asuka's grandmother - *The Little Hero* (1970), Actor - *Oh, My Comrade!* (1970), as Harumi - *Terror in the Streets* (1970), as Shino - *River Without a Bridge Part 2* (1970), Actor - *Apart from Life* (1970), as Matsuko Fukuji - *Heat Wave Island* (1969), Actor - *Thousand Cranes* (1969), as Toyo - *River Without a Bridge* (1969), Actor - *The Human Bullet* (1968), as Bookstore Owner's Wife - *The Final Winner?* (1968), Actor - *The Sands of Kurobe* (1968), Actor - *Slave Factory* (1968), Actor - *The Last Lady* (1967), as Tsuru - *The Greatest Challenge of All* (1967), Actor - *Song of Love* (1967), as Orin - *Journey to the North* (1967), as Hana Kanai - *Wrath of Daimajin* (1966), as Old Woman Kane - *A Windmill, Tulips and Love* (1966), Actor - *She Was Like a Wild Chrysanthemum* (1966), Actor - *Trigger Happy Romeo* (1965), Actor - *Blood and Sea* (1965), Actor - *A Chain of Islands* (1965), as Kikuko Sasaki - *Tale of Japanese Burglars* (1965), as Hayashida's mother - *The Start of Life* (1965), as Tomi Ishiguro - *Ane to imôto* (1965), as Itoko - *Gazing at Love and Death* (1964), Actor - *Intentions of Murder* (1964), as Kinu Takahashi - *A Story from Echigo* (1964), Actor - *The Long Death* (1964), Actor - *Only on Mondays* (1964), as Yuka's mother - *Welcome, My Baby* (1964), as Yuki Nishizaka - *Daybreak Chorus* (1963), as Old Woman - *The Insect Woman* (1963), as Madam - *The Third Will* (1963), as Kimie - *Bad Girl* (1963), Actor - *All My Children* (1963), as Fusakichi's mother - *Beyond the Green Hills* (1963), as Shiraki, Teacher - *Children of Izu* (1962), Actor - *Ashita au hito* (1962), Actor - *Asu no hanayome* (1962), Actor - *The Young and Bad* (1962), Actor - *Red Bud and White Flower* (1962), Actor - *Foundry Town* (1962), as Ume - *Dolls floating down the river* (1962), as Fuku - *Ningen Gari* (1962), Actor - *Nippon no obaachan* (1962), as Kumi - *Buddha* (1961), as Sumi - *A Good Man, A Good Day* (1961), Actor - *Enraptured* (1961), Actor - *The Famous Wanderer* (1961), Actor - *小父さんありがとう* (1961), Actor - *Blind Devotion* (1961), as Saoko - *Shokei zen'ya* (1961), Actor - *Marriageable Age* (1961), Actor - *Yakuza sensei* (1960), Actor - *The Sun's Burial* (1960), as Chika - *Bonchi* (1960), Actor - *The Grave Tells All* (1960), Actor - *My Second Brother* (1959), Actor - *The Human Wall* (1959), Actor - *Odd Obsession* (1959), as Hana - *Paper Pigeon* (1959), as Yuki Kashiwabara - *Kiku and Isamu: Two Siblings Born in Japan* (1959), as Grandma Shigeko - *Musume no boken* (1958), Actor - *Conflagration* (1958), as Aki, Goichi's mother - *Stakeout* (1958), Actor - *Chance Meeting* (1958), as Tetsu Koyanagi - *Omoni to shounen* (1958), Actor - *But the Flesh is Weak* (1957), as Doctor - *Hole in One* (1957), as Suga Akabane - *Actress* (1956), Actor - *Saigo no sentō-ki* (1956), Actor - *Summer Storm* (1956), as Mitsu Asai - *The Shadow of Fear* (1956), Actor - *How Sorrowful* (1956), Actor - *Our Town* (1956), as Otaka - *Hana no unga* (1956), Actor - *Shiawase wa doko ni* (1956), as Kane - *Darkness at Noon* (1956), as Satoe Miyazaki - *Jigoku no hatoba* (1956), Actor - *Love is Lost* (1956), as Nobuyo - *The Burmese Harp* (1956), Actor - *The Motherless* (1955), Actor - *Policeman's Diary, Part 2* (1955), Actor - *Youth* (1955), Actor - *A Hole of My Own Making* (1955), Actor - *The Dawn of Judo* (1955), Actor - *The Heart* (1955), as Hioki's mother - *The Wolves* (1955), Actor - *The Maid's Kid* (1955), Actor - *Inhibited Love* (1955), Actor - *Ghost Story of Youth* (1955), as Nanny at Okumura's - *Sisters* (1955), Actor - *Dawn Chorus* (1955), Actor - *A Girl Who Delivers Happiness* (1955), Actor - *Victory or Defeat* (1954), Actor - *A Billionaire* (1954), Actor - *The Valley Between Love and Death* (1954), as Tetsu Ishida - *The Street Without Sun* (1954), as Aunt of Matsutaro - *Tomoshibi* (1954), Actor - *Shinzōyaburi no oka* (1954), Actor - *Jūdai no yūwaku* (1953), Actor - *Outlaw* (1953), Actor - *Before Dawn* (1953), as Ofuki - *A Japanese Tragedy* (1953), as Ichizo's wife - *Desire* (1953), Actor - *Miniature* (1953), Actor - *A Lonely Woman in a Lonely Land* (1953), as Ohana - *Jinsei Gekijo: dai ni bu* (1953), Actor - *Jinsei Gekijo: dai ichi bu* (1952), Actor - *Haha no nai ko to ko no nai haha to* (1952), as Aunt Otora - *Muntinlupa no yo wa fukete* (1952), as Fusako Kawai - *Beauty and the Thief* (1952), as Mrs. Inokuma - *Children of Hiroshima* (1952), as Otoyo - *Farewell to Spring* (1952), as Old woman - *Become a Mother, Become a Woman* (1952), as Hide - *The Bitch* (1951), as Tami - *限りなき情熱* (1951), Actor - *男の哀愁* (1951), Actor - *Koibito* (1951), as Mrs. Saeki - *The Scarlet Bat* (1950), Actor - *Les Miserables II: Banner of Love and Freedom* (1950), Actor - *Les Miserables I: God and the Devil* (1950), Actor - *White Beast* (1950), Actor - *Scandal* (1950), as Yasu Hiruta - *Koga Manshion* (1949), Actor - *Learn from Experience, Part Two* (1937), Actor ## Gallery - ![Tanie Kitabayashi](https://film.one/media/person/104800/gallery-090428d0e0dc.jpg) Tanie Kitabayashi — 産業経済新聞社（Sankei Shinbun Co., Ltd.）, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/31/Kitabayashi-Tanie-1_%28cropped%29.jpg/1280px-Kitabayashi-Tanie-1_%28cropped%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail) - ![『女中ッ子』（1955年）の撮影現場。田坂具隆監督と北林谷栄。](https://film.one/media/person/104800/gallery-257d1649e943.jpg) 『女中ッ子』（1955年）の撮影現場。田坂具隆監督と北林谷栄。 — 産業経済新聞社（Sankei Shinbun Co., Ltd.）, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/38/Tasaka-Tomotaka-Kitabayashi-Tanie-1.jpg/1280px-Tasaka-Tomotaka-Kitabayashi-Tanie-1.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail) ## Awards ### Other awards — 2 won - Medal with Purple Ribbon 1978: Medal with Purple Ribbon (won) - Blue Ribbon Awards for Best Actress 1960: Blue Ribbon Awards for Best Actress (won) *From Wikidata, which records wins more completely than nominations.* --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/tanie-kitabayashi