Hidari was born in
Asahi,
Toyama, as the eldest of 8 children. Between 1952 and 1995, she appeared in more than 90 films under the direction of filmmakers such as
Tadashi Imai,
Shōhei Imamura and
Paul Schrader. In 1964, she won the
Silver Bear for Best Actress at the
14th Berlin International Film Festival for her roles in
She and He and
The Insect Woman. In 1977, she directed and starred in the film
The Far Road, which made her the first woman actor–director since
Kinuyo Tanaka, Hidari also appeared on stage and television. She died of lung cancer in 2001. Hidari was married to director
Susumu Hani from 1959 to 1977, with whom she had one daughter, Mio Hani. Her sister is actress Tokie Hidari. ==Selected filmography==