Tatsuya Nakadai
Known For
Acting
Born
1932-12-13 in Meguro, Tokyo, Japan
Died
2025-11-08
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.
Most Known For
Seven Samurai
as Samurai Wandering through Town (uncredited)
Ran
as Lord Hidetora Ichimonji
Samurai Banners
Harakiri
as Hanshiro Tsugumo
High and Low
as Chief Detective Tokura
The Tale of The Princess Kaguya
as Charcoal-maker Old Man (voice)
Crying Out Love, in the Center of the World
as Matsumoto Kentaro
Yojimbo
as Unosuke, gunfighter
A Son Of The Good Earth
Kurosawa
as Self
The Human Condition I: No Greater Love
as Kaji
Yamato
Shin Heike Monogatari
as Taira no Kiyomori
Kagemusha
as Shingen Takeda / Kagemusha
Kwaidan
as Minokichi (segment "The Woman of the Snow")
Belladonna of Sadness
as The Devil (voice)
The Face of Another
as Mr. Okuyama
The Human Condition II: Road to Eternity
as Kaji
Sanjuro
as Hanbei Muroto
The Battle of Okinawa
as Colonel Hiromichi Yahara