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. Nakadai rose to prominence starring in Masaki 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 (voice)
2022
- The Pass: Last Days of the Samurai as Makino Tadayuki
- Life Work of Akira Kurosawa as Self
2019
- The Return as Unokichi
- A Town and a Tall Chimney as Hyoma Sekine
- Sleeping Village as Narrator (voice)
2018
- Henkan kōshōjin: Itsuka, Okinawa o torimodosu as Narrator (voice)
2017
- Lear on the Shore as Kuwahata Chokichi
2016
- Cold Case: Door of Truth as Suzaki Kiyoshi
- Great evil does not go to sleep: The counterattack of the special investigation unit prosecutor as Yohei Tachibana
2015
- Before The Leaves Fall as Kenichiro Miya
- A Duel Tale as Sanosuke Shoji
- Futari no shikeishû - saishin imada hirakarezu as Narrator (voice)
- NORIN TEN inadzukagonjirō monogatari as Gonjiro Inazuka
- Nakadai Tatsuya: to Live for Acting as Self
2014
- Giovanni's Island as Older Junpei Senou (voice)
- Gun Woman as Hamazaki
- A Sinner's Lie as Kenzo Haneda
- Isao Takahata and His Tale of The Princess Kaguya as Self
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 as Masaru Okunishi
2012
- Until the Break of Dawn as Sadayuki Akiyama
- Gaku as Kazama Shin-ichi
- Japan's Tragedy as Fujio Murai
2010
- Zatoichi: The Last as Tendo
- Haru's Journey as Tadao Nakai
2009
- Through the Mist as (archive footage)
- Tatsuya Nakadai on 'The Human Condition' as Self
- Listen to My Heart as Kyozo Hayami
2007
2006
- Murder of the Inugami Clan as Sahei Inugami
2005
- Yamato
- The Taika Reforms as Minabuchi no Syôan
- Wish Upon a Star as Takanori Wakamiya
2004
- Crying Out Love, in the Center of the World as Matsumoto Kentaro
2003
- Like Asura as Kotaro Takezawa
2002
- Akira Kurosawa: It Is Wonderful to Create: 'High and Low' as Self
- Vengeance for Sale as Umetaro Katakura
- Akira Kurosawa: It Is Wonderful to Create: 'Ran' as Self
- Akira Kurosawa: It Is Wonderful to Create: 'Kagemusha' as Self
- Akira Kurosawa: It Is Wonderful to Create: 'Sanjuro' as Self
- Dawn of a New Day: The Man Behind VHS as Matsushita (Matsushita Denki Co.)
- Akira Kurosawa: It Is Wonderful to Create: 'Yojimbo' as Self
- To Dance with the White Dog as Eisuke Nakamoto
2001
2000
- After the Rain as Tsuji Gettan
- Kurosawa as Self
1999
- Kurosawa: The Last Emperor as Self
- Jubaku: Spellbound as Hideaki Sasaki
1996
- The Life and Love of Kenji Miyazawa as Seijiro Miyazawa
1995
- A Son of the Good Earth
- East Meets West as Kaishu Katsu
1993
1992
- Wicked City as Daishu
- Pinwheel Hamakichi's Spell
- Basara: The Princess Goh as Oribe Furuta
- Faraway Sunset as Kobayashi
- Pinwheel Hamakichi's Spell
1991
- Heat Wave as Tsunejiro Murai
- Florence My Love
1990
- Battleship Yamato as Vice Admiral Seiichi Itō
- 13 Assassins
1989
- Return from the River Kwai as Major Harada
- Four Days of Snow and Blood as Sugiyama
- Let Him Rest in Peace
1988
- Another Way: D-Kikan-Joho as Shimamura
- Oración as Heihachiro Wagu
1987
- Hachiko as Shujiro Ueno
- Taikoki as Narrator (voice)
- Trinacria: Porsche 959
1986
- Michi as Seiji Tajima
- Atami Murder Case as Denbei Nikaido
1985
- Ran as Lord Hidetora Ichimonji
- The Empty Table as Nobuyuki Kidoji
- A. K. as Self
- Making of Ran as Self
1984
- Fireflies in the North as Takeshi Tsukigata
- The Fox Dancing in the Dusk
1983
1982
- Onimasa: A Japanese Godfather as Masagoro Kiryuin - Onimasa
- Tange Sazen: The Million Ryo Pot as Sazen Tange
- The Law of Hell as Ikuzô
- The Legend of Sayo as Otozo
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
- Blood Type: Blue as Minami
- Queen Bee as Ginzo Daidoji
1977
- Suna no Utsuwa as 今西栄太郎
- Sugata Sanshiro as Yano
1976
- Human Revolution II
- The Corporation as Tadashi Iki
- Elegy as Setsuo Katsuragi
1975
- Battle Cry as Hijikata Toshizo
- I Am a Cat as Kushami
- Solar Eclipse as Yasuo Hoshino, the Chief Cabinet Secretary
- The Gate of Youth
1974
- The Family as Teppei Manpyo
1973
- Belladonna of Sadness as The Devil (voice)
- The Human Revolution
- Rise, Fair Sun as Sakuzo
- 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
- Will to Conquer as Yoshida Tōyō
- 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
1969
- Tenchu! as Hanpeita Takechi
- Battle of the Japan Sea as Major Genjiro Akashi
- Goyokin as Magobei Wakizaka
- Portrait of Hell as Yoshihide
- Safari 5000
- Blood End as Sentaro
1968
- Today We Kill, Tomorrow We Die! as James Elfego
- The Human Bullet as Narrator (voice)
- Admiral Yamamoto as Narrator (voice)
- Kill! as Genta
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
- Kojiro as Musashi Miyamoto
- The Journey as Yuichiro
- Who Is Gomez? as Sakamoto
1966
- The Face of Another as Mr. Okuyama
- The Sword of Doom as Ryunosuke Tsukue
- Cash Calls Hell as Oida
- The Daphne
1965
- Kwaidan as Minokichi (segment "The Woman of the Snow")
- Three Yakuza
- The Last Judgment
- Fort Graveyard as Sakuma
- Illusion of Blood as Iyemon Tamiya
1963
- High and Low as Chief Detective Tokura
- Legacy of the 500,000 as Mitsura Gunji
- A Woman's Life as Takashi Akimoto
- Pressure of Guilt
- Madame Aki as Tatsumi
- Miren as Ryôta Kinoshita
1962
- Harakiri as Hanshiro Tsugumo
- Sanjuro as Hanbei Muroto
- Love Under the Crucifix as Ukon Takayama
- The Inheritance as Kikuo Furukawa
- Farm Girls as Kenichi
1961
- Yojimbo as Unosuke, gunfighter
- The Human Condition III: A Soldier's Prayer as Kaji
- Immortal Love as Heibei
- As the Clouds Scatter as James Kimura
- The Other Woman as Minami
1960
- When a Woman Ascends the Stairs as Kenichi Komatsu
- Get 'em All as Tsubota
- Daughters, Wives and a Mother as Kuroki Shingo
- 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
- Pilgrimage at Night as Kaname
- The Beast Shall Die as Kunihiko Date
- Three Dolls in Ginza as Kyosuke Tamura
1958
- Conflagration as Tokari
- All About Marriage as Akira Nakayama
- The Naked Sun as Jiro Maeda
- Diary of an Elegant Hot Spring as Kazuo Shimada
- A Boy and Three Mothers as Kensaku, the Engineer
- Go and Get It as Hara
- Oban kanketsu hen as Shin Don
- Kampai! Miai Kekkon as Kunihiko Sasada
- The Gion Tempest as Masaki
1957
- Untamed Woman as Kimura
- Black River as Joe
- A Dangerous Hero as Reporter Imamura
- Skin-Colored Moon as Jirô Taki
- The Shadow Daughter as Motohashi
- Ôban as Shin Don
- Zoku Ôban: Fûun hen as Shin don
- Zokuzoku Ôban: Dotô hen as Shindon
- Teenage Sazae as Norisuke
1956
- The Thick-Walled Room as Prisoner (uncredited)
- The Mandarin Room as Ando
- Sazae-san as Norisuke
- Phoenix as Keiichi Naganuma
- Love on Rainbow Island as Yûji Wada
1955
- Floating Weeds Diary as Union Member
1954
- Seven Samurai as Samurai Wandering through Town (uncredited)
- How the Bell of Liberty Rings as (uncredited)