female impersonator

本ブログでもすでに何度か採り上げられていますが，先日，亡くなられた歌舞伎俳優の中村勘三郎氏に関する記事から表現を拾います。impersonatorは「ものまね芸人，俳優」という意味の単語で，impersonationは「まね，ものまね」を指します（『プログレッシブ英和中辞典』小学館）。本文にもありますが，女性を演じるfemale impersonatorは歌舞伎の「女形」を意味します。（Koyamamoto）

Stage legend who worked to bring his craft to the masses succumbs after cancer surgery
Kabuki star Kanzaburo dies at 57
Leading kabuki actor Nakamura Kanzaburo died early Wednesday of acute respiratory distress syndrome at a Tokyo hospital. He was 57.
Kanzaburo, who was also a popular actor in film, TV and stage dramas, made public in June that he had esophageal cancer. He had undergone surgery and had been receiving treatment since then.
Kanzaburo, whose real name was Noriaki Namino, was born in Tokyo, the first son of Nakamura Kanzaburo XVII. He made his debut in 1959 at the age of 3 as the fifth Nakamura Kankuro and became Nakamura Kanzaburo XVIII in 2005 in a name-succession ceremony known as "shumei."
Recognized for his outstanding theatrical skills, Kanzaburo won fame for his performances both as a "tachiyaku" male actor and an "onnagata" female impersonator.
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20121205x2.html