Tatsuya Nakadai
Born: 1932-12-13 in Meguro, Tokyo, Japan
Died: 2025-11-08
Known For: Acting
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.
Filmography
2025
- The Limit as Narrator
2022
- The Pass: Last Days of the Samurai as Makino Tadayuki
- Life Work of Akira Kurosawa as Self
2019
- The Return
- A Town and a Tall Chimney
- Sleeping Village as (narration)
2018
- Henkan kōshōjin: Itsuka, Okinawa o torimodosu as Narrator
2017
- Lear on the Shore as Kuwahata Chokichi
2016
2015
- A Duel Tale
- Before The Leaves Fall as Kenichiro Miya
- NORINTEN 稲塚権次郎物語
- ふたりの死刑囚 as Narrator
- Nakadai Tatsuya: to Live for Acting
2014
- A Sinner's Lie as Kenzo Haneda
- Giovanni's Island as Older Junpei Senou (voice)
- Isao Takahata and His Tale of The Princess Kaguya as Self
- Gun Woman as Hamazaki
2013
- The Tale of The Princess Kaguya as Charcoal-maker Old Man (voice)
- The Human Trust as Nobuhiro Sasakura
- Promise: The Nabari Poisoned Wine Case, The Life of a Death-row Inmate
2012
- Until the Break of Dawn as Sadayuki Akiyama
- Japan's Tragedy as Fujio Murai
- Gaku as Kazama Shin-ichi
2010
- Haru's Journey as Tadao Nakai
- Zatoichi: The Last as Tendo
2009
- Listen to My Heart as Kyozo Hayami
- Through the Mist as (archive footage)
- Tatsuya Nakadai on 'The Human Condition' as Self
2007
2006
- Murder of the Inugami Clan as Sahei Inugami
2005
- Yamato
- Wish Upon a Star as Takanori Wakamiya
- The Taika Reforms as Minabuchi no Syôan
2004
- Crying Out Love, in the Center of the World as Matsumoto Kentaro
2003
- Like Asura as Kotaro Takezawa
2002
- Vengeance for Sale as Umetaro Katakura
- Dawn of a New Day: The Man Behind VHS as Matsushita (Matsushita Denki Co.)
- Akira Kurosawa: It Is Wonderful to Create: 'Sanjuro' as Self
- Akira Kurosawa: It Is Wonderful to Create: 'High and Low' as Self
- Akira Kurosawa: It Is Wonderful to Create: 'Yojimbo' as Self
- Akira Kurosawa: It Is Wonderful to Create: 'Kagemusha' as Self
- To Dance with the White Dog as Eisuke Nakamoto
2001
2000
- After the Rain as Tsuji Gettan
- Kurosawa as Self
1999
- Jubaku: Spellbound as Hideaki Sasaki
- Kurosawa: The Last Emperor as Self
1996
- The Life and Love of Kenji Miyazawa as Seijiro Miyazawa
1995
- East Meets West as Kaishu Katsu
- A Son of the Good Earth
1993
1992
- Wicked City as Daishu
- Basara: The Princess Goh as Oribe Furuta
- Pinwheel Hamakichi's Spell
- Faraway Sunset as Kobayashi
- Pinwheel Hamakichi's Spell
1991
- Heat Wave as Tsunejiro Murai
- Florence My Love
1990
1989
- Four Days of Snow and Blood as Sugiyama
- Let Him Rest in Peace
- Return from the River Kwai as Major Harada
1988
- Oración as Heihachiro Wagu
- Another Way: D-Kikan-Joho
1987
- Hachiko as Shujiro Ueno
- Taikoki as (Narrator)
- Trinacria: Porsche 959
1986
- Michi as Seiji Tajima
- Atami Murder Case as Denbei Nikaido
1985
- Ran as Lord Hidetora Ichimonji
- A. K. as Self
- The Empty Table as Nobuyuki Kidoji
- Making of Ran as Self
1984
- Fireflies in the North as Takeshi Tsukigata
- The Fox Dancing in the Dusk
1983
1982
- Tange Sazen: The Million Ryo Pot as Sazen Tange
- The Law of Hell
- The Legend of Sayo
1981
1980
- Kagemusha as Shingen Takeda / Kagemusha
- Port Arthur as Maresuke Nogi
- Aoki Ookami Narukichiomoase no Shougai as ナレーション
1979
- Hunter in the Dark as Gomyo Kiyoemon
1978
- The Phoenix as Jingi the Conqueror, leader of the Takamagahara
- Bandits vs. Samurai Squadron as Kumokiri Nizaemon
- Queen Bee as Ginzo Daidoji
- Blood Type: Blue as Minami
1977
- Suna no Utsuwa as 今西栄太郎
- Sugata Sanshiro as Yano
1976
- The Corporation
- Human Revolution II
- Elegy as Setsuo Katsuragi
1975
- The Gate of Youth
- Solar Eclipse as Yasuo Hoshino, the Chief Cabinet Secretary
- I Am a Cat as Kushami
- Battle Cry as Hijikata Toshizo
1974
- The Family as Teppei Manpyo
1973
- Belladonna of Sadness as The Devil (voice)
- The Human Revolution
- Rise, Fair Sun
- The King as Kinjiro Sekine
1972
- Shin Heike Monogatari as Taira no Kiyomori
1971
- The Battle of Okinawa as Colonel Hiromichi Yahara
- Inn of Evil as Sadashichi
- The Wolves as Seji Iwahashi
- Challenge at Dawn as Tsukagoshi
1970
- The Ambitious as Shintaro Nakaoka
- Zatoichi Goes to the Fire Festival as Ronin
- The Scandalous Adventures of Buraikan as Naojiro Kataoka
- Duel at Fort Ezo as Daizennokami Honjo
- Will to Conquer
1969
- Goyokin as Magobei Wakizaka
- Tenchu! as Hanpeita Takechi
- Battle of the Japan Sea as Major Genjiro Akashi
- Blood End as Sentaro
- Portrait of Hell as Yoshihide
- Safari 5000
1968
- Admiral Yamamoto as Narrator (voice)
- Kill! as Genta
- The Human Bullet as Narrator
- Today We Kill, Tomorrow We Die! as James Elfego
1967
- Samurai Rebellion as Tatewaki Asano
- Japan's Longest Day as Narrator (voice)
- ゴメスの名はゴメス
- The Age of Assassins as Shinji Kikyo
- Journey
- Kojiro as Musashi Miyamoto
- Gomez's Name is Gomez as Sakamoto
1966
- The Sword of Doom as Ryunosuke Tsukue
- The Face of Another as Mr. Okuyama
- Cash Calls Hell as Oida
- The Daphne
1965
- Kwaidan as Minokichi (segment "The Woman of the Snow")
- Three Yakuza
- Fort Graveyard as Sakuma
- Illusion of Blood as Iyemon Tamiya
- The Last Judgment
1963
- High and Low as Chief Detective Tokura
- A Woman's Life
- Pressure of Guilt
- Legacy of the 500,000 as Mitsura Gunji
- Madame Aki as Tatsumi
- Miren as Ryôta Kinoshita
1962
- Harakiri as Hanshiro Tsugumo
- Sanjuro as Hanbei Muroto
- The Inheritance as Kikuo Furukawa
- Love Under the Crucifix as Ukon Takayama
- Farm Girls
1961
- Yojimbo as Unosuke, gunfighter
- The Human Condition III: A Soldier's Prayer as Kaji
- Immortal Love as Heibei
- The Other Woman as Minami
- As the Clouds Scatter
1960
- When a Woman Ascends the Stairs as Kenichi Komatsu
- Daughters, Wives and a Mother as Kuroki Shingo
- Get 'em All as Tsubota
- The Blue Beast as Yasuhiko Kuroki
1959
- The Human Condition I: No Greater Love as Kaji
- The Human Condition II: Road to Eternity as Kaji
- Odd Obsession as Kimura
- The Beast Shall Die as Kunihiko Date
- Pilgrimage at Night
- The Human Condition as Kaji
- Three Dolls in Ginza
1958
- The Naked Sun
- Conflagration as Tokari
- Diary of an Elegant Hot Spring as Kazuo Shimada
- Oban kanketsu hen as Shin Don
- A Boy and Three Mothers as The Engineer
- All About Marriage as Akira Nakayama
- Go and Get It as His assistant
- Kampai! Miai Kekkon as Kunihiko Sasada
1957
- Untamed Woman as Kimura
- Black River as Jo
- Ôban as Shin Don
- A Dangerous Hero
- Teenage Sazae
- Zoku Ôban: Fûun hen as Shin don
- Zokuzoku Ôban: Dotô hen as Shindon
- Skin-Colored Moon as Jirô Taki
- The Shadow Daughter
1956
- The Thick-Walled Room as (Uncredited)
- Love on Rainbow Island as Yûji Wada
- Sazae-san as Norisuke
- Phoenix
- The Mandarin Room
1955
1954
- Seven Samurai as Samurai Wandering through Town (uncredited)
- How the Bell of Liberty Rings as (uncredited)