[2] Sawamura was born Sadako Katō in the Asakusa district of Tokyo.

[3] After dropping out of Japan Women's University, she was active in left-wing theatre groups and twice arrested.

[2] She appeared in many supporting roles after the war,[1] often working with director Mikio Naruse.

[2][3] Other filmmakers Sawamura worked with include Kenji Mizoguchi, Yasujirō Ozu, Keisuke Kinoshita and Kaneto Shindō.

[4] She was married to actor Kamatari Fujiwara and film magazine editor and critic Yasuhiko Ohashi.