She appeared in nearly 200 films in a career which spanned 45 years,[3] starring in works by Akira Kurosawa, Kenji Mizoguchi, Yasujirō Ozu, Mikio Naruse, and others.

Film historian Donald Richie once called her "[o]ne of Japan's most versatile actresses, and perhaps the most intellectual of all in her approach to acting.

"[4] Michiyo Kogure was born in Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan, and graduated from Nihon University in 1940.

[1] She worked for directors such as Hiroshi Shimizu, Heinosuke Gosho and Kōzaburō Yoshimura, before following her husband to Manchuria in 1944.

She received the 1949 Mainichi Film Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in Aoi sanmyaku.