Haruko Katô (1939–2019) was a Japanese actress renowned for her intense film and theater career. Her fame is inextricably linked to her collaboration with director Nagisa Ōshima, for whom she was one of his favorite actresses and muses.

She starred in numerous films by Ōshima, delivering powerful and memorable performances. Among her most significant works are *Koshikei* (Death by Hanging, 1968), where she demonstrated her versatility, and *Gishiki* (The Ceremony, 1971). The role that brought her international fame was that of Seki in *Ai no Bōrei* (In the Realm of the Senses, 1978), where she portrayed with raw intensity a woman overwhelmed by forbidden passion and crime, receiving the Best Actress award at the Japan Academy Prize.

Her acting style was characterized by a strong stage presence and an ability to bring to life complex female characters, often tormented, on the margins of society or involved in extreme and transgressive dynamics.