Hideko Takamine (高峰秀子 Takamine Hideko, March 27, 1924 – December 28, 2010)… Read Full Bio ↴Hideko Takamine (高峰秀子 Takamine Hideko, March 27, 1924 – December 28, 2010) was a Japanese actress and singer who began as a child actor and maintained her fame in a career that spanned nine decades. Her first role was in the Shochiku studio's 1929 film Mother (Haha), which brought her tremendous popularity as a child actor. Soon she was billed as Japan's Shirley Temple. Unlike many child stars, Takamine made a successful transition into more mature roles in her teen years.

During World War II, she toured Japanese army camps as a singer. And immediately after the war, she sang for American occupation troops at a theater in Tokyo. "I was singing American songs like 'You Are My Sunshine,' " she said in the 1983 interview. "I didn't have time to think about whether I liked it or didn't like it. It was work. And backstage, I was getting flowers and chocolates and K-rations, so thanks to Americans I survived."