Mari Natsuki
Junko Saito (née Nakajima Jun'ko, more commonly known by her stage name Mari Natsuki, is a Japanese singer, dancer, actress and philanthropist, who describes herself as a "person who plays." Born in Tokyo, she started work as a singer from a young age. In 2007, Natsuki announced her engagement to percussionist Nobu Saitō (斉藤ノヴ), with their marriage taking place in Spring 2008. Natsuki has participated in musical theatre, including Madame Thenardier in Les Miserables, Golde in Fiddler on the Roof and that of Yukio Ninagawa.
Also recorded as Natsuki Mari · Junko Nakajima · Nakajima Junko
Mari Natsuki
Martin Kraft · CC BY-SA 3.0
- Name
- Mari Natsuki
- Birth Name
- Junko Nakajima
- Born
- 2 May 1952
- Birthplace
- Tokyo, Japan
- Occupation
- Singer, dancer, actress
- Full name
- 中島 淳子.
- Nationality
- Japan.
- Education
- Toshimagaoka Joshi Gakuen Junior and Senior High School.
- Honours
- Japan Academy Prize for Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role and Golden Arrow Award.
- Languages
- Japanese.
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Documentary summary
Junko Saito (née Nakajima Jun'ko, more commonly known by her stage name Mari Natsuki, is a Japanese singer, dancer, actress and philanthropist, who describes herself as a "person who plays." Born in Tokyo, she started work as a singer from a young age. In 2007, Natsuki announced her engagement to percussionist Nobu Saitō (斉藤ノヴ), with their marriage taking place in Spring 2008. Natsuki has participated in musical theatre, including Madame Thenardier in Les Miserables, Golde in Fiddler on the Roof and that of Yukio Ninagawa.
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wikidata · Q1190336 · wikipedia · Mari Natsuki
In this article
Biography
Biography
She provided the voice of Yubaba in Spirited Away, played the young witch's mother in the Japanese TV remake of Bewitched and has twice been nominated for a Japanese Academy Award. Natsuki played the character Big Mama in the Japanese version of Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots and has also acted in television dramas, such as the 2005 series Nobuta o Produce, playing the Vice Principal, Katharine. In 2024, Natsuki reprised her famous roles of Yubaba/Zeniba for the stage production of Spirited Away, performing in Japan and London. In 2026, she performed the role in Seoul, Korea.
Mari Natsuki at the opening ceremenony of the Berlinale 2018
Martin Kraft
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Mari Natsuki • Birth Name — Junko Nakajima • Born — 2 May 1952 • Birthplace — Tokyo, Japan • Other Names — Junko Nakajima • Occupation — Singer, dancer, actress • Years Active — 1971–present
Television
Television
• G-Men '75 (1979–80) • Yoshitsune (2005) – Tango no Tsubone • Carnation (2011) – old Itoko Ohara • Montage (2016) • Meet Me After School (2018) • Followers (2020) - Eriko Tajima • Welcome Home, Monet (2021) • I Will Be Your Bloom (2022) – Yuki Hanamaki
Video games
Video games
• Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots (Big Mama) (2008) • Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception (Katherine Marlowe) (2011)
Live-action
Live-action
• The Devil Wears Prada (2010 NTV edition) (Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep)) • Feud (Joan Crawford (Jessica Lange)) • The West Wing (seasons 1–4) (C.J. Cregg (Allison Janney))
Animation
Animation
• Ballerina (Régine Le Haut) • Moana (Tala) • Moana 2 (Tala) Theatre • Spirited Away (Yubaba/Zeniba) - Tokyo Imperial Theatre/London Coliseum - 2024. Double starring with Romi Park.
Film
• Otoko wa Tsurai yo series: • Tora-san, My Uncle (1989) • Tora-san Takes a Vacation (1990) • Tora-san Confesses (1991) • Tora-San Makes Excuses (1992) • Tora-san to the Rescue (1995) • Tora-san, Wish You Were Here (2019) • Onimasa (1982) • Legend of the Eight Samurai (1983) • Fireflies in the North (1984) • Jittemai (1986) • Death Powder (1986) • Strawberry Road (1991) • The Hunted (1995) • Samurai Fiction (1998) • Spirited Away (2001), Yubaba (voice) • Shōjo (2001) • Ping Pong (2002) • Okusama wa Majo (2004) • Sugar and Spice (2006) • Sakuran (2007) • Girl in the Sunny Place (2013) • Isle of Dogs (2018), Auntie (voice) • Ikiru Machi (2018) • Vision (2018) • Over the Sky (2020), Mori Obaa-chan (voice) • Angry Rice Wives (2021), Taki • Yudo: The Way of the Bath (2023) • From the End of the World (2023) • See Hear Love (2023), Tae Izumimoto • Until We Meet Again (2026), Hanako Shimizu
Primary material
Documents and archives
reference work
- “Mari Natsuki”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
authority record
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q1190336: Mari Natsuki
General reference · Wikidata
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
reference work
Secondary witnessauthority record
General reference
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 15 August 2026.
Elsewhere in Film memorabilia
37,408 published records in this field, each with its sources named.
- Mari HoshinoPerson
- Mari IijimaPerson
- Mari JászaiPerson
- Mari MorrowPerson
- Mari OkadaPerson
- Mari PossaPerson
- Mari RantasilaPerson
- Mari SelvarajPerson
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