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Kumi Mizuno
★ Acting

Kumi Mizuno

Born 1937 · Niigata, Japan · Active 1957–2024

Kumi Mizuno, born Maya Igarashi in 1936, is a Japanese actress celebrated for her role in The War of the Gargantuas (1966). Mizuno's portrayal of the enigmatic Xilien agent Namikawa in Toho's kaiju films solidified her status as a cult icon among genre enthusiasts. Her work in The War of the Gargantuas reflects the blend of horror and science fiction that defines much of the era's cinema, marking her as a significant figure in the evolution of cult and exploitation films. Mizuno's contributions continue to resonate within the realms of cult cinema.

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The War of the Gargantuas

The War of the Gargantuas

1966 ★ 6.6
as Akemi Togawa

During a rainy night, a fishing boat is attacked by a giant octopus. The giant octopus is then attacked by a giant green-haired humanoid monster. After defeating the giant octopus, the green monster then attacks the boat. A survivor is recovered, who reveals to doctors and police that Frankenstein attacked his boat and ate the crew. The press picks up the story and interviews Dr. Paul Stewart and his assistant, Dr. Akemi Togawa, who once had a baby Frankenstein in their possession for study five years prior. Stewart and Akemi dispel the idea that the attack was caused by their Frankenstein, postulating that their Frankenstein was gentle, would not attack nor eat people, nor would he live in the ocean as he was found in the mountains and likely died after he escaped. Another boat is attacked and villagers see the green Frankenstein off the coast at the same time that a mountain guide reports seeing Frankenstein in the Japanese Alps. Stewart and Akemi investigate the mountains and find giant footprints in the snow. Their colleague, Dr. Majida, collects tissue samples from the second boat. The green Frankenstein attacks Haneda Airport, eats a woman and returns to the sea after the clouds clear. Stewart and Akemi leave for Tokyo for a meeting with the military to discuss plans to kill the monster. Majida deduces that the green Frankenstein is sensitive to light. The green Frankenstein briefly appears in Tokyo, but is driven away by bright lights. It retreats to the mountains, where the military counterattacks it. Then a second Frankenstein, brown-haired in appearance, appears and comes to the green Frankenstein's aid, helping it escape. Stewart and Akemi conclude that the brown Frankenstein is their former subject. To distinguish the monsters, the military designate the brown and green Frankensteins as Sanda and Gaira, respectively. After collecting and examining tissue samples from both monsters, Stewart concludes that Gaira is Sanda's clone. He theorizes that a piece of Sanda's tissue made its way out to sea, where it survived off plankton and evolved into Gaira. During a hiking trip, Stewart, Akemi and several hikers run away from Gaira. Akemi falls off a ledge, but Sanda saves her in time, injuring his leg in the process. Stewart and Akemi try to convince the military that only Gaira should be killed while Sanda should be spared, but the army ignores their pleas, unwilling to risk letting either monster live. After discovering that Gaira devoured people, Sanda attacks him. Gaira escapes with Sanda pursuing and heads towards Tokyo, no longer deterred by the city lights as they alert him to the presence of food. During the evacuation, Akemi vows to save Sanda, but runs into Gaira instead. Sanda stops Gaira from devouring Akemi and Stewart carries her to safety. Sanda tries to plead with Gaira, but the green monster engages Sanda in battle. Stewart tries to convince the military to give Sanda time to defeat Gaira, but fails. However, the military aids Sanda as his battle with Gaira moves from Tokyo to Tokyo Bay and further out to sea. As the military drops bombs around the battling Frankensteins, an underwater volcano suddenly erupts, swallowing up both monsters. Majida informs Stewart and Akemi that the monsters' deaths could not be confirmed due to the intense heat, but stresses that nothing could have survived the eruption. An experimental lab animal called a gargantua escapes from his captors and is suspected to be the creature that is killing people all over the countryside. But when the gargantua from the lab appears at the same time as the evil gargantua, the two begin to battle across Japan.

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Career Highlights Top 6 by popularity · TMDB

Filmography

123 credits
2020s 3 credits
2024
TV ★ 7.5
2020
Movie ★ 9.5
2020
24 JAPAN as Shigeko Isomura
TV ★ 7.6
2010s 11 credits
2018
Movie ★ 6.0
2018
Segodon as Saigo Kimi
TV ★ 8.3
2017
Care Nin as Keiko Hoshikawa
Movie
2016
Movie ★ 6.2
2013
Movie ★ 7.0
2012
Movie
2012
TV ★ 8.3
2000s 6 credits
2007
Movie
2007
Movie
2005
The Passed Scene as Tamie Suzuki
Movie
2004
Godzilla: Final Wars as Commander Akiko Namikawa
Movie ★ 7.1
2003
Movie ★ 10.0
2002
Godzilla Against MechaGodzilla as 1999 Prime Minister Machiko Tsuge
Movie ★ 7.5
1990s 5 credits
1995
Movie ★ 2.0
1991
Rainbow Kids as Kanako Yanagawa, 1st daughter
Movie ★ 6.6
1990
Movie
1980s 11 credits
1988
Kaito Ruby as Toru's Mother
Movie ★ 7.0
1988
Movie
1988
TV
1987
Night Train as Masayo
Movie ★ 3.7
1984
Noozles as Grandma Brown
TV ★ 6.0
1970s 11 credits
1979
Movie ★ 9.0
1974
Love Is in the Green Wind as Natsuko Aikawa
Movie ★ 7.0
1974
Scalpel as Keiko
Movie
1970
Movie
1970
Movie ★ 8.0
1970
Movie
1970
Movie ★ 9.0
1960s 55 credits
1969
Movie ★ 6.7
1967
Movie ★ 8.0
1967
Movie ★ 5.4
1966
Movie ★ 6.3
1966
Movie ★ 6.4
1965
Movie ★ 6.8
1965
Movie ★ 6.8
1965
Movie ★ 7.0
1964
Movie ★ 9.0
1964
Whirlwind as The Witch
Movie ★ 6.6
1964
Movie ★ 8.7
1964
Movie ★ 8.0
1964
Trap of Suicide Kilometer as Reiko Matsushita
Movie ★ 7.3
1963
Matango as Mami Sekiguchi - Singer
Movie ★ 6.7
1963
Samurai Pirate as Miwa the Rebel Leader
Movie ★ 5.9
1963
Movie ★ 10.0
1963
Interpol Code 8 as Saeko Kinomiya
Movie ★ 7.7
1963
Warring Clans as Takihime
Movie ★ 6.8
1963
We Are Salarymen as Sanae Komuro (Hiroji’s Wife)
Movie ★ 7.0
1962
Movie ★ 8.0
1962
Movie ★ 7.1
1962
Movie ★ 9.0
1962
Gorath as Takiko Nomura
Movie ★ 6.5
1962
Movie
1962
Movie ★ 7.0
1962
Woman of Design as Mitsuko Yoshimura
Movie ★ 6.7
1962
Movie ★ 7.0
1962
Movie ★ 7.0
1962
Movie ★ 7.0
1961
Movie ★ 9.0
1961
Movie ★ 6.4
1961
Movie ★ 8.0
1961
Movie ★ 6.3
1961
Movie ★ 6.4
1961
Movie ★ 9.0
1961
Movie ★ 9.0
1961
Movie ★ 9.0
1961
The Tenth Game of New Salarymen as Chikako (Ichida’s daughter)
Movie
1961
Kill the Killer! as Rie (owner of “Seine” dress shop)
Movie ★ 10.0
1960
Movie ★ 6.1
1960
Movie ★ 6.9
1960
Movie ★ 8.0
1960
Black Flower Petal as Mitsuko Kamimura
Movie ★ 10.0
1960
Movie
1960
Ginza Tomboy as Reiko Kitamura
Movie
1960
Movie
1960
The Parting as Yuki Toyama
Movie
1950s 21 credits
1959
The Bride from Japan as Hatsue Taniguchi
Movie ★ 9.0
1959
Movie ★ 6.7
1959
Movie ★ 5.5
1959
Movie ★ 10.0
1959
Movie ★ 9.0
1959
Movie
1959
Fox and Raccoon as Kayoko Sagawa
Movie ★ 9.0
1959
Movie
1958
Summer Clouds as Hamako
Movie ★ 7.6
1958
Movie ★ 6.5
1958
Bright Young Maidens as Tomoko Nomura
Movie ★ 10.0
1958
Movie
1958
Holiday in Tokyo as Fashion Model L
Movie ★ 9.0
1958
Executive Chair as Otoko Aikawa
Movie
1958
Diary of an Elegant Hot Spring as Keiko Tashiro (newlywed guest)
Movie
1958
The Young Boss is Third Generation as Kimiko Mikawa, Yukichi’s Sister
Movie
1957
Movie ★ 7.0