Chiaki Matsubara

Chiaki Matsubara (born February 18, 1958 – October 8, 2022) was a Japanese actress and talent. She was born in Ukyō Ward, Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture. Her height was 162 centimeters. The fashion model Sumire was her eldest daughter.

Regarding her family, her father was Ken Tsukasa Hara, a period drama actor, and her mother was Otome Matsuko, a graduate of the Takarazuka Revue (24th class). Hara Tsukasa's hometown was Hiroshima Prefecture, and Matsubara's family ran a Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki restaurant called "Chiaki" in Kyoto. Chiaki Matsubara helped out at this shop since she was a child.

As for her education, she graduated from Kyoto Prefectural Sagano High School and then from Heian Jogakuin Junior College in 1978 with a focus on Christianity.

Her entertainment career began in her teens, mainly in the Kansai region. After graduating from junior college, she worked as an office lady at a credit union. In 1979, she was chosen from among 27,500 applicants to be a campaign girl for Kanebo Cosmetics "Kanebo Lady '80," which marked her breakout.

During this campaign, she met the criteria for "the woman of the 1980s"—symbolizing the era—while also earning high praise for her responses emphasizing intelligence, and was selected as the top candidate. In an interview, she expressed her desire to "live in America in the future" and said she "wanted to see women working together." As a prize, she earned the right to appear in Toho's film "Earthquake Island," where she played a female camerawoman.

Subsequently, she mainly appeared in television dramas and also hosted radio programs. In 1988, she served as the first secretary on the Asahi Broadcasting TV program "Detective! Night Scoop" for one year. That same year, she married actor Junichi Ishihara. After marriage, she reduced her entertainment activities and gave birth to her daughter Sumire in 1990, but they divorced in 1999.

After the divorce, she temporarily resumed her entertainment career, publishing an essay titled "Reborn—In the Light of Hawaii." She paused her activities again due to remarriage and pregnancy, giving birth to a son in 2000.

In 2006, her daughter Sumire began her career as a model. Additionally, on September 23, 2006, she made a partial return to the entertainment industry after appearing as a guest on the TV program "Shittoko!". Her talent agency also rejoined Toho Entertainment.

Her remarriage was with a white man, but due to financial dependency and incompatible personalities, they began divorce proceedings at the end of 2008, officially divorcing in 2009.

On October 8, 2022, she passed away at her home in Hawaii. She was reported to be 64 years old. This information was released in an article in "Josei Seven" published by Shogakukan on November 16 of the same year, and Sumire's talent agency also officially announced her death on their website.

Her notable works include the film "Earthquake Island" (1980) and "Hakara-san ga Tōru" (1987). Her television dramas include "The Four Seasons of Marriage" and "Edo no Asayake."