News broke today that the famous Japanese actress Setsuko Hara had died September 5, 2015 after being hospitalized with pneumonia.
Made famous by her charm and energetic smile, she was best known for her work on Akira Kurosawa's
No Regrets for our Youth, as well as probably her most famous role in Yasujiro Ozu's
Tokyo Story, which Roger Ebert called "one of the greatest films of all time". Beloved by her country, as well as cinephiles the world over, she retired from acting at age 42 for unknown reasons and never spoke to the media or the public afterward.
Frequent directorial collaborator once said of Hara: "Every Japanese actor can play the role of a soldier and every Japanese actress can play the role of a prostitute; however, it is rare to find an actress who can play the role of a daughter from a good family"
Even though she died September 5, her death wasn't made public until November 25, 2015, and given her reclusive nature, I'm sure that's just how would have liked it.
Rest in peace