Personal details
Born:
- Birthday: 1941-12-09
- Born Place: Minato, Tokyo, Japan
Kayoko Shiraishi
Kayoko Shiraishi is a prominent Japanese stage actress, born on December 9, 1941, in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. She became a key figure in the Angura ("underground") theater movement in Japan, starting in the early 1960s. Her career was launched as the star performer of the Waseda Little Theatre troupe, which was led by the renowned director Tadashi Suzuki. Suzuki found in Shiraishi an actress whose physical abilities and talent could embody his theories on Japanese stage performance, leading to her being celebrated for her highly expressive and often intense stage presence. Beyond the stage, she has appeared in films and television series, including an early role in the 1973 film Female Convict Scorpion: Jailhouse 41. More recently, she had roles in the film Rohan at the Louvre (2023) and the 2023 TV series The Makanai: Cooking for the Maiko House as Kiyo's grandmother. In 2025, she is credited with a voice role as the Old Woman in the animated film Scarlet. Shiraishi is also famous for her decades-long performance project called the "Kayoko Shiraishi's Hyakumonogatari Series" (One Hundred Stories), where she performed dramatic solo readings of classic spooky and strange tales. Her career achievements have been recognized with honors such as the Medal with Purple Ribbon in 2005 and the Order of the Rising Sun, 4th Class, Gold Rays with Rosette in 2012.
