Yoko Narahashi Explained

Yoko Narahashi
Native Name:奈良橋 陽子
Native Name Lang:ja
Birth Date:17 June 1947
Birth Place:Ichikawa, Chiba, Japan
Alma Mater:International Christian University

is a Japanese casting director, film producer and lyricist.[1] She gained prominence due to her involvement with The Last Samurai, Babel, and Memoirs of a Geisha.[2] [3] The Japan Times, the only independent English-language newspaper in Japan, referred to her as an "all-round interpreter of Japan for U.S. movies".[4]

Biography

Born in Ichikawa, Chiba, Japan, Narahashi moved to Montreal, Quebec, Canada in 1952 at the age of five when her father got a job at the International Civil Aviation Organization.[5] She returned to Japan a decade later to attend International Christian University in Mitaka, Tokyo. In 1967, she returned to New York City where she studied at the Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre .[6]

Returning again to Japan, Narahashi founded two companies. The first was an English conversation school (Eikaiwa), Model Language Studio (MLS), which taught English through theater. The school now has branches in 34 countries. The second was a production and management company, United Performers' Studio (UPS), based on the Actors Studio in New York City.[7] In 1998, she served as the founding director of UPS Academy, a method acting school geared towards foreign actors.

Narahashi was once married to Johnny Nomura, the producer behind the popular Japanese band Godiego. She wrote the lyrics for Gandhara, The Galaxy Express 999, and Holy and Bright. They have since been divorced.

Selected filmography

Year Film Credits
1989 Cipher Dialogue Director, Dialogue Translator, Interviewer (voice)
1995 The Winds of God Director (Won "Best New Director" at the Japan Film Critics Awards)
2003 The Last Samurai Associate Producer, Casting Associate
2005 Memoirs of a Geisha Actress, Japan Liaison
2006 Babel Casting Director
2008 The Ramen Girl Casting Director
2012 Emperor Producer
2013 47 Ronin Casting Associate
2013 The Wolverine Casting Director
2024 Touch [8]

Notes and References

  1. http://www.chopsticksny.com/contents/people/2013/03/10839 YOKO NARAHASHI Chopsticks New York
  2. http://metropolis.co.jp/features/upfront2/q-a/yoko-narahashi/ Metropolis – News & Features | Yoko Narahashi
  3. http://filmmakers.filmnz.com/gallery-producers-eugene-nomoura-yoko-narahashi-and-gary-foster/ Gallery: Producers Eugene Nomoura, Yoko Narahashi and Gary Foster — New Zealand: Inspiring Filmmakers
  4. http://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2013/07/06/people/from-hollywood-to-hirohito/#.UeFONmQY1F8 From Hollywood to Hirohito | The Japan Times
  5. http://www.upsnews.co.jp/english/ United Performers' Studio
  6. http://gree.jp/narahashi_yoko/introduction ÆàÎɶ¶ÍÛ»Ò ¸ø¼°¥Ö¥í¥° ¥×¥í¥Õ¥£¡¼¥ë – GREE
  7. http://www.upsnews.co.jp/common/aboutUs/ United Performers' Studio
  8. Web site: TOUCH. 11 July 2024. Universal Pictures.