
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.

Samurai Wandering through Town (uncredited)
1954
Chief Detective Tokura
1963
Hanshiro Tsugumo
1962
Lord Hidetora Ichimonji
1985

Charcoal-maker Old Man (voice)
2013
Unosuke, gunfighter
1961
Shingen Takeda / Kagemusha
1980
Matsumoto Kentaro
2004
Hanbei Muroto
1962
The Devil (voice)
1973
Minokichi (segment "The Woman of the Snow")
1965
Takeshi Tsukigata
1984

Mr. Okuyama
1966
Daishu
1992
Kaji
1959
Shujiro Ueno
1987
Kaji
1961
Taira no Kiyomori
1972
Kenzo Haneda
2014
James Elfego
1968
Kaji
1959
Ryunosuke Tsukue
1966
Kimura
1959
Nobuhiro Sasakura
2013
Sugiyama
1989
Masagoro Kiryuin - Onimasa
1982
Minami
1961
Colonel Hiromichi Yahara
1971
Kenichi Komatsu
1960
Older Junpei Senou (voice)
2014
今西栄太郎
1977

Tatewaki Asano
1967
Self
1985

Maresuke Nogi
1980
Narrator
1983