Person Biography:
Yuuki Chiho, later known as Kirin Kiki, began her acting career after high school as part of a theatre troupe. Initially, she took up acting for the money, as her father had wanted her to become a pharmacologist, but she missed her examination due to a fractured foot.
In the 1960s, she changed her stage name to Kirin Kiki and married fellow trouper Kishida Shin, with whom she had a four-year marriage that ended in 1968. She then married pop musician Uchida Yuya in 1973 and had a daughter, Uchida Yayako, who is an actress.
Kirin Kiki's acting career spanned numerous television serials, feature films, and commercials, including the Tora-San series, Pistol Opera, Tokyo Tower: Mom And Me, And Sometimes Dad, and Red Beans. She has focused on the big screen in recent years.
Despite her success, Kirin Kiki has faced personal challenges, including a detached retina in her left eye in 2003 and breast cancer diagnosis in 2004, which was later announced incurable and terminal. She underwent a mastectomy and has been open about her experiences.
Kirin Kiki has won several awards for her work, including the Best Supporting Actress award at the Yokohama Film Festival and the Japan Academy Prize for Best Actress. She prefers to be a recluse and does not like children, rarely interacting with her own child or grandchild.
