is a Japanese stage, film and television actress.
Career
A graduate of the Haiyuza Theatre Company, Watanabe gave her film debut in Tadashi Imai's Tower of Lilies (1953) before becoming a contract player at the Nikkatsu film studios. She appeared in almost 100 films of directors like Shōhei Imamura, Masahiro Shinoda and Masaki Kobayashi.
She received the Blue Ribbon Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in the 1958 Endless Desire. In 1997 she was awarded a Medal of Honor with Purple Ribbon and in 2004 the Order of the Rising Sun.