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
- A Town and a Tall Chimney as Hyoma Sekine
- Sleeping Village as Narrator (voice)
- The Return
2018
- Henkan kōshōjin: Itsuka, Okinawa o torimodosu as Narrator (voice)
2017
- Lear on the Shore as Kuwahata Chokichi
2016
2015
- Before The Leaves Fall as Kenichiro Miya
- A Duel Tale as Sanosuke Shoji
- Futari no shikeishû - saishin imada hirakarezu as Narrator (voice)
- NORINTEN 稲塚権次郎物語
- Nakadai Tatsuya: to Live for Acting
2014
- Giovanni's Island as Older Junpei Senou (voice)
- A Sinner's Lie as Kenzo Haneda
- Gun Woman as Hamazaki
- 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
- Japan's Tragedy as Fujio Murai
- Gaku as Kazama Shin-ichi
2010
- Haru's Journey as Tadao Nakai
- Zatoichi: The Last as Tendo
2009
- Through the Mist as (archive footage)
- Listen to My Heart as Kyozo Hayami
- 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
- Dawn of a New Day: The Man Behind VHS as Matsushita (Matsushita Denki Co.)
- To Dance with the White Dog as Eisuke Nakamoto
- Akira Kurosawa: It Is Wonderful to Create: 'Yojimbo' as Self
- Akira Kurosawa: It Is Wonderful to Create: 'Sanjuro' as Self
- Akira Kurosawa: It Is Wonderful to Create: 'Kagemusha' 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: 'High and Low' as Self
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
- 13 Assassins
- Battleship Yamato as Vice Admiral Seiichi Itō
1989
- Four Days of Snow and Blood as Sugiyama
- Return from the River Kwai as Major Harada
- Let Him Rest in Peace
1988
- Another Way: D-Kikan-Joho
- Oración as Heihachiro Wagu
1987
- Hachiko as Shujiro Ueno
- Taikoki as (Narrator)
- Trinacria: Porsche 959
1986
- Atami Murder Case as Denbei Nikaido
- Michi as Seiji Tajima
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
- Bandits vs. Samurai Squadron as Kumokiri Nizaemon
- Queen Bee as Ginzo Daidoji
- Blood Type: Blue as Minami
- The Phoenix as Jingi the Conqueror, leader of the Takamagahara
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
- Solar Eclipse as Yasuo Hoshino, the Chief Cabinet Secretary
- I Am a Cat as Kushami
- The Gate of Youth
- Battle Cry as Hijikata Toshizo
1974
- The Family as Teppei Manpyo
1973
- Belladonna of Sadness as The Devil (voice)
- Rise, Fair Sun as Sakuzo
- The King as Kinjiro Sekine
- The Human Revolution
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
- Zatoichi Goes to the Fire Festival as Ronin
- The Ambitious as Shintaro Nakaoka
- 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
- Safari 5000
- Portrait of Hell as Yoshihide
- Blood End as Sentaro
1968
- Today We Kill, Tomorrow We Die! as James Elfego
- Admiral Yamamoto as Narrator (voice)
- The Human Bullet as Narrator (voice)
- Kill! as Genta
1967
- Samurai Rebellion as Tatewaki Asano
- Japan's Longest Day as Narrator (voice)
- The Age of Assassins as Shinji Kikyo
- ゴメスの名はゴメス
- Kojiro as Musashi Miyamoto
- Journey
- 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
- The Last Judgment
- Illusion of Blood as Iyemon Tamiya
1963
- High and Low as Chief Detective Tokura
- A Woman's Life
- Legacy of the 500,000 as Mitsura Gunji
- Madame Aki as Tatsumi
- Pressure of Guilt
- 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
- The Other Woman as Minami
- As the Clouds Scatter as James Kimura
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
- The Human Condition as Kaji
- Odd Obsession as Kimura
- The Beast Shall Die as Kunihiko Date
- Pilgrimage at Night as Kaname
- Three Dolls in Ginza
1958
- Conflagration as Tokari
- All About Marriage as Akira Nakayama
- Oban kanketsu hen as Shin Don
- Diary of an Elegant Hot Spring as Kazuo Shimada
- Go and Get It as His assistant
- The Naked Sun as Jiro Maeda
- A Boy and Three Mothers as The Engineer
- Kampai! Miai Kekkon as Kunihiko Sasada
1957
- Black River as Jo
- Untamed Woman as Kimura
- Ôban as Shin Don
- Zoku Ôban: Fûun hen as Shin don
- Teenage Sazae
- A Dangerous Hero as Reporter Imamura
- Zokuzoku Ôban: Dotô hen as Shindon
- Skin-Colored Moon as Jirô Taki
- The Shadow Daughter as Motohashi
1956
- The Thick-Walled Room as Prisoner (uncredited)
- Sazae-san as Norisuke
- Love on Rainbow Island as Yûji Wada
- Phoenix as Keiichi Naganuma
- The Mandarin Room as Ando
1955
- Floating Weeds Diary as Union Member
1954
- Seven Samurai as Samurai Wandering through Town (uncredited)
- How the Bell of Liberty Rings as (uncredited)