Yoko Shimada (born 17 May 1953, Kumamoto) is a Japanese actress. She is best known to Western audiences for her role as Mariko in the 1980 miniseries Shogun.
Shimada was the only female cast member speaking English in Shogun, relying on a dialogue coach as she was not fluent at the time. Her English improved during production, enabling her to work in several English-language films in the 1980s and 1990s. In 1981, she won the Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actress in a TV-Series-Drama and received a Primetime Emmy nomination for Shogun.
Japan
