Tokuko Takagi
| Tokuko Takagi | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born |
Tokuko Nagai 永井徳子 February 15, 1891 Misakichō, Tokyo, Japan |
| Died |
March 30, 1919 (aged 28) Kaho District, Fukuoka, Japan |
| Occupation | Actress, dancer |
| Years active | 1911–1919 |
| Spouse(s) |
Chimpei Takagi |
Tokuko Takagi (高木 徳子 Takagi Tokuko, born Tokuko Nagai (永井 徳子 Nagai Tokuko), February 15, 1891 – March 30, 1919) was a Japanese dancer and actress in early silent films. She was the first female Japanese performer to appear in a film professionally, she appeared in four shorts for the American-based Thanhouser Company between the years 1911 and 1914. After returning to Japan, she was Japan's first dancer to dance in toe shoes.
History
Tokuko Takagi was born in Misakichō, Tokyo in 1891. In 1906, she married Chimpei Takagi, 24, when she was 15. They both moved to America where she eventually acted in four early silent films. She returned to Japan in 1914, due to the outbreak of World War I. In 1915, she had her Japanese domestic dance debut in the Imperial Theatre. While she was on tour in 1919, she suddenly died of a cerebral hemorrhage.
External links
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Media related to Tokuko Takagi at Wikimedia Commons - Tokuko Takagi at the Internet Movie Database (billed as Taku Takagi)
- Tokuko Nagai Takaki: Japan's First Film Actress