Tatsuya Nakadai

Tatsuya Nakadai

Personal Info

Known For
Acting
Born
1932-12-13
Died
2025-11-08 (aged 92)
Place of Birth
Meguro, Tokyo, Japan

Tatsuya Nakadai

Biography

Tatsuya Nakadai (仲代 達矢, Nakadai Tatsuya; born Motohisa Nakadai; December 13, 1932 – November 8, 2025) was a Japanese actor. Widely regarded as one of the greatest actors in the history of Japanese cinema, he collaborated extensively with many of Japan's best-known and acclaimed directors. In his over seven decade career, he appeared in more than 160 films, and received numerous accolades. He was honored with a Medal with Purple Ribbon in 1996 and Japan's Order of Culture in 2015. Discovered on the streets of Tokyo by director Masaki Kobayashi, Nakadai rose to prominence starring in Kobayashi's films, with his breakthrough being the protagonist of the epic anti-war trilogy The Human Condition (1959–1961). He won the Blue Ribbon Award for Best Actor for his performance as the vengeful ronin in Harakiri (1962), a role he considered his finest. Nakadai collaborated on eleven films with Kobayashi—including Kwaidan (1964) and Samurai Rebellion (1967)—and five with Akira Kurosawa, most notably as the tragic warlord in Ran (1985), a performance that earned global acclaim. His other notable credits included Seven Samurai (1954), Yojimbo (1961), The Sword of Doom (1966), The Face of Another (1966), Goyokin (1969), Kagemusha (1980), and The Tale of the Princess Kaguya (2013). A lifelong stage actor, he founded the Gendai Nohgaku-kai troupe in 1975 and continued performing on stage into his nineties. Description above from the Wikipedia article Tatsuya Nakadai, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Known For

Seven Samurai
8.4

Seven Samurai

Samurai Wandering through Town (uncredited)

1954
High and Low
8.4

High and Low

Chief Detective Tokura

1963
Harakiri
8.4

Harakiri

Hanshiro Tsugumo

1962
Ran
8.0

Ran

Lord Hidetora Ichimonji

1985
Samurai Banners
7.6

Samurai Banners

2007
The Tale of The Princess Kaguya
8.1

The Tale of The Princess Kaguya

Charcoal-maker Old Man (voice)

2013
Yojimbo
8.1

Yojimbo

Unosuke, gunfighter

1961
Kagemusha
7.8

Kagemusha

Shingen Takeda / Kagemusha

1980
Crying Out Love, in the Center of the World
8.4

Crying Out Love, in the Center of the World

Matsumoto Kentaro

2004
Sanjuro
8.0

Sanjuro

Hanbei Muroto

1962
Belladonna of Sadness
7.4

Belladonna of Sadness

The Devil (voice)

1973
Kwaidan
7.7

Kwaidan

Minokichi (segment "The Woman of the Snow")

1965
Fireflies in the North
5.6

Fireflies in the North

Takeshi Tsukigata

1984
Yamato
5.5

Yamato

2005
The Face of Another
7.8

The Face of Another

Mr. Okuyama

1966
Wicked City
5.8

Wicked City

Daishu

1992
The Human Condition I: No Greater Love
8.1

The Human Condition I: No Greater Love

Kaji

1959
Hachiko
7.8

Hachiko

Shujiro Ueno

1987
The Human Condition III: A Soldier's Prayer
8.4

The Human Condition III: A Soldier's Prayer

Kaji

1961
Shin Heike Monogatari
7.3

Shin Heike Monogatari

Taira no Kiyomori

1972
A Sinner's Lie
8.4

A Sinner's Lie

Kenzo Haneda

2014
Today We Kill, Tomorrow We Die!
6.0

Today We Kill, Tomorrow We Die!

James Elfego

1968
The Human Condition II: Road to Eternity
8.2

The Human Condition II: Road to Eternity

Kaji

1959
The Sword of Doom
7.7

The Sword of Doom

Ryunosuke Tsukue

1966
Odd Obsession
6.2

Odd Obsession

Kimura

1959
The Human Trust
4.0

The Human Trust

Nobuhiro Sasakura

2013
Four Days of Snow and Blood
7.4

Four Days of Snow and Blood

Sugiyama

1989
Onimasa: A Japanese Godfather
6.2

Onimasa: A Japanese Godfather

Masagoro Kiryuin - Onimasa

1982
The Other Woman
6.3

The Other Woman

Minami

1961
The Battle of Okinawa
7.8

The Battle of Okinawa

Colonel Hiromichi Yahara

1971
When a Woman Ascends the Stairs
8.0

When a Woman Ascends the Stairs

Kenichi Komatsu

1960
Giovanni's Island
7.5

Giovanni's Island

Older Junpei Senou (voice)

2014
Suna no Utsuwa

Suna no Utsuwa

今西栄太郎

1977
Pinwheel Hamakichi's Spell

Pinwheel Hamakichi's Spell

1992
Samurai Rebellion
8.2

Samurai Rebellion

Tatewaki Asano

1967
A. K.
6.3

A. K.

Self

1985
A Son of the Good Earth
10.0

A Son of the Good Earth

1995
Port Arthur
7.4

Port Arthur

Maresuke Nogi

1980
Final Yamato
6.7

Final Yamato

Narrator

1983
Farm Girls
10.0

Farm Girls

1962
Tatsuya Nakadai - Movies & TV Shows | KissKH