Masako Izumi
Masako Izumi was a Japanese actress, singer and adventurer.
Life and career
Izumi was born in Ginza, Tokyo, Japan on 31 July 1947. She joined Wakakusa Theatre Company and started her acting career as a child actress at the age of 11. Three years later, she moved to Nikkatsu Film company and she became one of the three representative actresses of the Nikkatsu called Nikkatsu Sannin Musume along with Sayuri Yoshinaga and Chieko Matsubara.In 1963, Izumi starred in Kirio Urayama's film Bad Girl and the film won a Golden Prize at the 3rd Moscow International Film Festival.
Izumi was the first Japanese woman to reach the North Pole on an expedition, which she did in 1989.
Izumi died from cancer on 9 July 2025, at the age of 77.