Kumeko Urabe (Japanese: 浦辺粂子), born Kimura Kume ((木村 くめ)), (October 5, 1902 – October 26, 1989) was a Japanese movie actress, one of the first in the country. She worked on stage and in film and television. Urabe was born in a rural part of the Shizuoka Prefecture. She lived in several homes while growing up, as she relocated with her father, a Buddhist priest, among the temples to which he was assigned. Urabe completed her education in Numazu, and left school in 1919 to join a theatre company, touring under various stage names as an actor and dancer.
In 1923, Urabe auditioned at the film studio Nikkatsu, and adopted the name Kumeko Urabe, by which she was known for the rest of her life. She appeared in her first film the following year, and continued to act until 1987. She worked with such directors as Kenji Mizoguchi and Mikio Naruse, and performed in over 320 films, including Ikiru, Older Brother, Younger Sister, Portrait of Madame Yuki, She Was Like a Wild Chrysanthemum, and Street of Shame. She also starred in television dramas, including thirteen episodes of Toshiba Sunday Theatre between 1958 and 1980. In the following decade, she carved a niche as a Grandma idol, until her death in 1989.
1987
as Tabacco shop owner
1985
as Fuki Inoue
1980
as Toyo
1976
1975
1974
1973
1972
as Tsue
1971
1971
1971
1970
1969
1969
1969
1968
1967
1967
1967
as Kane Sasagawa
1967
1966
as Sugi
1966
1966
1966
as Hisako Kanematsu
1966
1966
as Riku
1965
1965
as Tokiko Tsurukawa
1965
1965
1964
as Shino
1964
1964
as Taka
1964
as Bar Madam
1963
as Gin Ishii
1963
1963
1962
1962
1962
as Ino
1962
1962
1962
1962
1962
as Owner of the hotel
1962
as Oshima
1962
1962
1962
1962
1962
as Yoshi Namikawa
1962
as Waka
1961
1961
1960
as Otani
1960
1960
1960
1960
as Old woman
1960
as Sato
1960
1959
as Shige
1959
1959
as Otome
1959
1959
1959
1959
1958
1958
1958
1958
1958
as Proprietress of the Hotel Hizen-ya
1957
1957
as Grandma
1957
1957
1957
as Komatsu's Mistress
1957
1957
1957
as Okô
1957
1956
1956
1956
1956
1956
1956
1956
1956
as Otane
1956
as Shige Kitagawa
1955
as Grandmother
1955
as Tomi
1955
as Masa
1955
1955
1955
as Nobuko's mother
1955
as Okimi
1954
as Shige, Ryoichi's stepmother
1954
as Otoko Sensei no Tsuma
1954
1954
1954
as Tose
1954
as Tome
1954
1953
as Otsune
1953
as Riki - the Mother
1953
as Kiyo
1953
1953
as Kayo Nojima
1952
1952
as Tatsu Watanabe
1952
as Osei
1952
as Onao
1952
1952
1952
1951
as Auntie
1951
as Onobu
1951
as Taniguchi Shige
1951
1950
as Connie Sonobe's mother
1950
as San
1950
1950
1950
as Boarding house landlady
1949
1949
1949
as Kane Nonomura
1948
1948
as Brothel Keeper
1948
as Brothel-keeper
1947
1946
1946
as Takako
1945
1945
1943
as 妻とよ
1943
as Tomi
1942
1941
1938
1937
as Ume
1934
1933
1933
as Ogin
1931
1931
as Ohisa, Mother of Antonio
1931
1930
as Omatsu
1927
as Otoku
1924
1924
1924