Akiko Wakabayashi

Akiko Wakabayashi

  • Birthday: 1939-12-13
  • Place of birth: Ota, Tokyo Prefecture, Japan
  • Also know as: 若林 映子

Biography

Akiko Wakabayashi (born December 13, 1939 in Ōta, Tokyo) is a Japanese actress, best known in English-speaking countries for her role as Bond girl, Aki in the 1967 James Bond movie You Only Live Twice. Prior to this, she made many movies in her native Japan, especially Toho Studio's monster movies such as Dagora, the Space Monster and Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster (both of which were also released under various other titles). When production of You Only Live Twice began, Wakabayashi was originally slated to play the role of Kissy Suzuki whilst her co-star Mie Hama played Suki, one of Tiger Tanaka's top agents. When learning English proved to be a major hurdle to Hama, the women switched roles, with Hama now playing the smaller part of Kissy and Wakabayashi playing the larger part of Suki. Wakabayashi, as Aki in the movie You Only Live Twice. At her suggestion, the character of Suki was renamed to Aki. This is probably partly because[citation needed] in 1966, Woody Allen took the Japanese action film International Secret Police: Key of Keys (in which both Mie Hama and Wakabayashi starred), re-edited, re-dubbed, re-plotted, and renamed it What's Up, Tiger Lily?. In the film, Wakabayashi's character was "Suki Yaki" whereas her You Only Live Twice co-star Hama played "Teri Yaki". Wakabayashi made only one more film (and a guest TV appearance) before disappearing from both the big and small screen. In an interview in G-FAN magazine (No. 76), Wakabayashi said she retired from acting due to injuries sustained while making a movie. Description above from the Wikipedia article Akiko Wakabayashi, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Filmography

King Kong vs. Godzilla

1962

As Tamiye

What's Up, Tiger Lily?

1966

As Suki Yaki

Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster

1964

As Mas Selina Salno

Adventure in Kigan Castle

1966

As Spuria, Chamberlain's daughter

The Thin Line

1966

As Sayuri Sugimoto

Akiko

1961

As Akiko

こんにちは赤ちゃん

1964

As Shizuko Nagata

Samurai Pirate

1963

As Yaya's maid

Key of Keys

1965

As Bai-Lan

Dogora

1964

As Gang Moll

A Keg of Powder

1964

As Girl Taken at Haneda

The Beast Shall Die

1959

As Hostess at the Rollita B

Acchan no bebi gyangu

1961

As Midori

Girl from Hong Kong

1961

As Anna Suh

King Kong vs. Godzilla

1963

As Tamiye (uncredited)

Our Failures

1962

As

The Exotic Locations of 'You Only Live Twice'

2006

As Aki (archive footage)

Best Ever Bond

2002

As Aki (archive footage) (uncredited)

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