Tsuru Aoki facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Tsuru Aoki
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![]() Portrait in a newspaper, c. 1916
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Born | |
Died | October 18, 1961 Tokyo, Japan
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(aged 69)
Occupation | Actress |
Years active | 1913–1924, 1960 |
Spouse(s) | |
Signature | |
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Tsuru Aoki (青木 鶴子, Aoki Tsuruko, September 9, 1892 – October 18, 1961) was a Japanese actress. She became very well-known in the United States during the silent film era. This was a time in the 1910s and 1920s when movies had no sound. Tsuru Aoki might have been the first Asian actress to get top billing in American movies. This means her name was shown as one of the most important actors.
Contents
Early Life and Acting Career
Tsuru Aoki was born in Tokyo, Japan. In 1899, she moved to California, USA. She came with her uncle, Otojirō Kawakami, and his wife, Kawakami Sadayakko. Sadayakko was a geisha, a Japanese artist who entertains. Tsuru performed with their acting group. She also helped Sadayakko at a special tea ceremony in a hotel. People loved her "tiny and graceful" presence.
However, the acting group faced money problems. So, Tsuru's uncle arranged for her to be adopted by Toshio Aoki. He was a sketch artist for a local newspaper. Tsuru later took ballet lessons in New York City. She went there with her uncle Toshio, who was working on a play. After Toshio passed away, a reporter looked after Tsuru.
Starting in Films
Tsuru Aoki began her acting career in Los Angeles. She performed in plays at the city's Japanese Theatre. A film producer named Thomas H. Ince noticed her there. He signed the young actress to a contract. Tsuru also helped find other Japanese actors for a film company called Imperial Japanese Company.
Her first movie was The Oath of Tsuru San in 1913. She acted alongside William Garwood. Her next film was O Mimi San in 1914. It starred American child actress Mildred Harris and a young actor named Sessue Hayakawa. Tsuru had acted with Sessue before at the Japanese Theatre.
Becoming a Star
Tsuru and Sessue started a romantic relationship. They got married on May 1, 1914. This was just weeks before their movie The Wrath of the Gods came out. This film was a big success. It was a drama about a romance between a man played by Frank Borzage and an Asian woman played by Tsuru Aoki. Sessue Hayakawa also starred in it. Over the years, Tsuru and Sessue made more than 20 movies together.
One of Tsuru's most famous silent films was The Dragon Painter (1919). In this movie, Tsuru played a young woman named Ume-Ko. She convinces a lonely artist named Tatsu (played by Sessue Hayakawa) to leave the mountains. She helps him become more civilized and improve his art. Other important films she made were The Typhoon (1914), The Vigil (1914), The Geisha (1914), The Chinatown Mystery (1915), His Birthright (1918), and The Breath of the Gods (1920).
Later Career and Retirement
During the 1910s, Tsuru Aoki appeared in about 40 films. She often played the main female character, which was a big deal for an Asian actress at the time. She acted with many famous stars like Marin Sais, Frank Borzage, and Jack Holt.
After a few less successful films, Tsuru's career in the United States slowed down. Meanwhile, her husband Sessue's career became very strong. In 1923, Tsuru and Sessue traveled to France. They filmed a popular drama called La Bataille. After returning to America, Tsuru made only three more movies. She then stopped acting to raise her and Sessue's three children. Her last silent film was The Danger Line in 1924.
Tsuru Aoki returned to acting in 1960. This was her first movie with sound. She appeared with her husband in the drama Hell to Eternity.
Her Final Years
Tsuru Aoki passed away the next year in Japan. She was 69 years old and died from a serious illness called Peritonitis.
Filmography
Title | Year | Role | Notes | Ref |
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The Oath of Tsuru San | 1913 | Tsuru San | Short Lost film |
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O Mimi San | 1914 | |||
The Courtship of O San | 1914 | O San | Short Lost film |
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The Geisha | 1914 | Myo | Short Lost film |
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Love's Sacrifice | 1914 | Little Faun | Lost film | |
The Wrath of the Gods | 1914 | Toya San | ||
A Tragedy of the Orient | 1914 | Kissmoia | Short Lost film |
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A Relic of Old Japan | 1914 | Katuma | Short Lost film |
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Desert Thieves | 1914 | Owanono | Short Lost film |
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Star of the North | 1914 | Star of the North | Short Lost film |
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The Curse of Caste | 1914 | Kissmoia | Short Lost film |
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The Village 'Neath the Sea | 1914 | Little Fawn | Short Lost film |
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The Death Mask | 1914 | Princess Nona | Short Lost film |
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The Typhoon | 1914 | N/A | ||
Nipped | 1914 | San Toy Nakado | Short Lost film |
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The Vigil | 1914 | Mira | Short Lost film |
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Mother of the Shadows | 1914 | Laughing Moon | Short Lost film |
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The Last of the Line | 1914 | Girl at Riverside | Short | |
The Famine | 1915 | Misao | Short Lost film |
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The Chinatown Mystery | 1915 | Woo | Short Lost film |
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The Beckoning Flame | 1915 | Janira | Short Lost film |
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Alien Souls | 1916 | Yuri Chan | Lost film | |
The Honorable Friend | 1916 | Toki-Ye | Lost film | |
The Soul of Kura San | 1916 | Kura-San | Lost film | |
Each to His Kind | 1917 | Princess Nada | Lost film | |
The Call of the East | 1917 | O'Mitsu – Arai's Sister | Lost film | |
The Curse of Iku | 1918 | Omi San | Lost film | |
The Bravest Way | 1918 | Sat-u | ||
His Birthright | 1918 | Saki San | Incomplete film | |
A Heart in Pawn | 1919 | Sada | Lost film | |
The Courageous Coward | 1919 | Rei Oaki | Lost film | |
The Gray Horizon | 1919 | O Haru San | Lost film | |
The Dragon Painter | 1919 | Ume-Ko | ||
Bonds of Honor | 1919 | Toku-ko | Lost film | |
Locked Lips | 1920 | Lotus Blossom | Lost film | |
A Tokyo Siren | 1920 | Asuti Hishuri | Lost film | |
The Breath of the Gods | 1920 | Yuki Onda | Lost film | |
Screen Snapshots | 1920–1921 | Herself | ||
Black Roses | 1921 | Blossom | Lost film | |
Five Days to Live | 1922 | Ko Ai | Lost film | |
Night Life in Hollywood | 1922 | Herself | Incomplete film | |
The Battle | 1923 | La Marquise Yorisaka | Lost film | |
The Danger Line | 1924 | Marquise Yorisaka | Lost film | |
The Great Prince Shan | 1924 | Nita | Lost film | |
Sen Yan's Devotion | 1924 | Sen Yan's Wife | Lost film | |
Hell to Eternity | 1960 | Mother Une | ||
Decasia | 2002 | Geisha | Archive footage |