One of Japan's most respected and beloved actresses, Setsuko Hara, died Sept. 5 in Kamakura, Kanagawa Prefecture, at the age of 95. Her family withheld the information until two weeks ago, another protection of the privacy she held so dearly. Though Hara made her final film in 1961, after which she retired from public life, she remains one of Japan's most powerful, appealing and popular actresses.

Hara made her first film at age 15 in 1937, dropping out of high school and pursuing her dreams. During the war years she acted in propaganda films and then became a star soon after the war ended. Her work was central to many of the best films of the postwar period. She appeared at the astonishing rate of four to five films a year, starring in films by some of Japan's most highly acclaimed directors, Akira Kurosawa, Yasujiro Ozu and Mikio Naruse, among others.

Her roles ranged from fiance, widow or student activist to rich girl or devoted daughter, but in every one she exuded a powerful presence. Filmgoers and critics alike were riveted to the screen by her simple and natural, yet nuanced and intricate, acting. Her ability to convey a woman's internal tensions and unresolved conflicts appealed to viewers who felt the same way during the upheavals and uncertainties of Japanese life in the '40s and '50s.