Akiko Wakabayashi

Akiko Wakabayashi

Born: December 13, 1939
in Ota, Tokyo Prefecture, Japan
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.

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Movies for Akiko Wakabayashi...

The Exotic Locations of 'You Only Live Twice'
Title: The Exotic Locations of 'You Only Live Twice'
Character: Aki (archive footage)
Released: October 4, 2006
Type: Movie
Maud Adams narrates a tour of the locations of You Only Live Twice.
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Best Ever Bond
Title: Best Ever Bond
Character: Aki (archive footage) (uncredited)
Released: November 22, 2002
Type: Movie
Roger Moore presents the ten best sequences ever to have appeared in the James Bond series, and cast members recall their favourite moments.
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Title: Shirley's World
Released: April 7, 1972
Type: TV
Shirley's World is a television series aired first by American Broadcasting Company during the U.S. 1971-72 television season. The sitcom was co-produced by the British ITC Entertainment and American producer Sheldon Leonard; it starred Shirley MacLaine as a photojournalist and John Gregson as her editor. Immediately after the ABC broadcasts ended, the seventeen-episode series was aired in its entirety on ITV in the United Kingdom.
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Diamonds of the Andes
Title: Diamonds of the Andes
Released: April 28, 1968
Type: Movie
Romantic action film set against the beautiful backdrop of Rio de Janeiro. Jiro Ibuki has decided to leave the world of the yakuza and live with his fiancée Reiko.
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You Only Live Twice
Title: You Only Live Twice
Character: Aki
Released: June 13, 1967
Type: Movie
A mysterious spacecraft captures Russian and American space capsules and brings the two superpowers to the brink of war. James Bond investigates the case in Japan and comes face to face with his archenemy Blofeld.
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What's Up, Tiger Lily?
Title: What's Up, Tiger Lily?
Character: Suki Yaki
Released: November 2, 1966
Type: Movie
In comic Woody Allen's film debut, he took the Japanese action film "International Secret Police: Key of Keys" and re-dubbed it, changing the plot to make it revolve around a secret egg salad recipe.
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Arupusu no wakadaishô
Title: Arupusu no wakadaishô
Released: May 28, 1966
Type: Movie
Seventh movie of the Wakadaishō series directed by Kengo Furusawa
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Adventure in Kigan Castle
Title: Adventure in Kigan Castle
Character: Spuria, Chamberlain's daughter
Released: April 28, 1966
Type: Movie
Osami, a soldier-of-fortune from Japan, joins with priest Ensai in a quest for the ashes of the great Buddha. Their journey takes them to a kingdom in the Middle East, where they find intrigue and romance in the court of an evil king.
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The Thin Line
Title: The Thin Line
Character: Sayuri Sugimoto
Released: February 12, 1966
Type: Movie
Tashiro coincidentally meets his best friend Sugimoto in a bar very close to the apartment in which Sugimoto’s wayward wife is found dead. Although Tashiro is not a suspect in the police investigation, he is racked with guilt and confesses to his wife, Masako. In an effort to further relieve his tortured sense of guilt, he then confesses to Sugimoto. Neither his wife nor his friend can believe that he could have been involved.
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Key of Keys
Title: Key of Keys
Character: Bai-Lan
Released: October 22, 1965
Type: Movie
Intelligence director Suritai asks agent Kitami to steal money from anti-government guerrillas.
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Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster
Title: Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster
Character: Mas Selina Salno
Released: December 20, 1964
Type: Movie
After a meteorite unleashes a three-headed beast upon Tokyo, Mothra tries to unite with Godzilla and Rodan to battle the extraterrestrial threat.
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A Keg of Powder
Title: A Keg of Powder
Character: Girl Taken at Haneda
Released: December 9, 1964
Type: Movie
In the third installment in the "Kokusai himitsu keisatsu" series, agent Jiro Kitami investigates the mysterious disappearance of a prominent scientist. Edited into Woody Allen's "What's Up, Tiger Lily?" along with the 4th film in the series, "Key of Keys".
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Dogora
Title: Dogora
Character: Gang Moll
Released: August 11, 1964
Type: Movie
A floating amorphous life-form descends from the atmosphere to consume carbon in the form of diamonds.
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こんにちは赤ちゃん
Title: こんにちは赤ちゃん
Character: Shizuko Nagata
Released: March 20, 1964
Type: Movie
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Samurai Pirate
Title: Samurai Pirate
Character: Yaya's maid
Released: October 26, 1963
Type: Movie
An adventurous and daring sailor sets sail to the castle of an ailing king to stop an evil premier, hungry for power and wealth, from succeeding the throne and marrying the king's beautiful daughter. Along the way, with the help of some courageous rebels and a lustful wizard, he must overcome the powers of a bewitching witch, a band of ruthless pirates, and the castle's Imperial guards. He must also free those kidnapped into slavery and restore the king's reputation.
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Interpol Code 8
Title: Interpol Code 8
Released: August 31, 1963
Type: Movie
Agent Jiro Kitami attempts to stop a smuggling ring from shipping arms to Vietcong guerrillas.
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King Kong vs. Godzilla
Title: King Kong vs. Godzilla
Character: Tamiye (uncredited)
Released: June 26, 1963
Type: Movie
When an underhanded pharmaceutical company goes to a remote tropical island to steal King Kong for advertising purposes, they get more than they bargained for when the gigantic ape attacks an unsuspecting village and an enormous octopus.
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The Weed of Crime
Title: The Weed of Crime
Released: December 8, 1962
Type: Movie
Toho-produced crime drama involving the drug trade.
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Gekkyū dorobō
Title: Gekkyū dorobō
Released: December 8, 1962
Type: Movie
1962 Japanese movie
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Sararīman Gonza to Sukejū ren'ai kōsa-ten
Title: Sararīman Gonza to Sukejū ren'ai kōsa-ten
Released: November 17, 1962
Type: Movie
1962 Japanese movie
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Wakai kisetsu
Title: Wakai kisetsu
Released: October 20, 1962
Type: Movie
1962 Japanese movie
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Our Failures
Title: Our Failures
Released: September 1, 1962
Type: Movie
Tells the story of Shintaro, a lawyer who quits his job to work at a camera factory, and his love adventures.
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King Kong vs. Godzilla
Title: King Kong vs. Godzilla
Character: Tamiye
Released: August 11, 1962
Type: Movie
The advertising director of Pacific Pharmaceuticals, frustrated with the low ratings of their sponsored TV program, seeks a more sensationalist approach. He orders his staff to Faro Island to capture King Kong for exploitation. As Godzilla re-emerges, a media frenzy generates with Pacific looking to capitalize off of the ultimate battle.
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Pig and Goldfish
Title: Pig and Goldfish
Released: June 20, 1962
Type: Movie
1962 Japanese movie
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Ai no uzu shio
Title: Ai no uzu shio
Released: May 22, 1962
Type: Movie
1962 Japanese movie
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The Crimson Sky
Title: The Crimson Sky
Released: March 21, 1962
Type: Movie
1962 Japanese movie
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Kanpai! Sararīman shokun
Title: Kanpai! Sararīman shokun
Released: January 14, 1962
Type: Movie
1962 Japanese movie
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Acchan no bebi gyangu
Title: Acchan no bebi gyangu
Character: Midori
Released: September 17, 1961
Type: Movie
Based on the comic by Fuyuhiko Okabe.
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Girl from Hong Kong
Title: Girl from Hong Kong
Character: Anna Suh
Released: August 29, 1961
Type: Movie
Unusual race relations melodrama from West Germany follows a German sailor who meets and weds a Chinese woman while on leave in Hong Kong, only to meet with disapproval from his family and friends when the couple returns to Europe.
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Akiko
Title: Akiko
Character: Akiko
Released: March 23, 1961
Type: Movie
The quaint life of Ottavia, a widow living in Rome, is turned upside down when a young and pretty Japanese girl knocks at her door, claiming to be the daughter of her late husband, an Italian military officer who went to Japan on a secret mission during WWII and reportedly killed in action there.
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The Orientals
Title: The Orientals
Released: April 8, 1960
Type: Movie
Episodic, globe-trotting quasi-mondo focused on women of the East.
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When a Woman Ascends the Stairs
Title: When a Woman Ascends the Stairs
Character: Hostess
Released: January 15, 1960
Type: Movie
Keiko, whom everyone calls Mama, narrates her story: she's a hostess on the Ginza, 30, a widow. She describes life's vicious cycle: acting cheerful around drunks, dressing and living well to convey confidence, needing money for these expenses and for her demanding mother and brother, and knowing she's growing older.
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The Beast Shall Die
Title: The Beast Shall Die
Character: Hostess at the Rollita B
Released: June 9, 1959
Type: Movie
A promising post-graduate literature student is transformed into a psychotic killer following the suicide of his father and a sleazy affair by his mother with a younger man.
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Song for a Bride
Title: Song for a Bride
Released: February 11, 1958
Type: Movie
An Ishiro Honda film.