Tatsuya Nakadai
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.
Known For
Credits
- 2025 · The Limit as Narrator
- 2022 · Life Work of Akira Kurosawa as Self
- 2022 · The Pass: Last Days of the Samurai as Makino Tadayuki
- 2019 · The Return as
- 2019 · A Town and a Tall Chimney as
- 2019 · Sleeping Village as (narration)
- 2018 · Black Baby as Unosuke (archive footage)
- 2018 · Henkan kōshōjin: Itsuka, Okinawa o torimodosu as Narrator
- 2017 · Lear on the Shore as Kuwahata Chokichi
- 2016 · Great evil does not go to sleep: The counterattack of the special investigation unit prosecutor as Yohei Tachibana
- 2015 · A Duel Tale as
- 2015 · NORINTEN 稲塚権次郎物語 as
- 2015 · ふたりの死刑囚 as Narrator
- 2015 · Before The Leaves Fall as Kenichiro Miya
- 2014 · Isao Takahata and His Tale of The Princess Kaguya as Self
- 2014 · A Sinner's Lie as Kenzo Haneda
- 2014 · Gun Woman as Hamazaki
- 2014 · Giovanni's Island as Older Junpei Senou (voice)
- 2013 · The Tale of The Princess Kaguya as Charcoal-maker Old Man (voice)
- 2013 · The Human Trust as Nobuhiro Sasakura
- 2013 · Promise: The Nabari Poisoned Wine Case, The Life of a Death-row Inmate as
- 2012 · Until the Break of Dawn as Sadayuki Akiyama
- 2012 · Japan's Tragedy as Fujio Murai
- 2012 · Gaku as Kazama Shin-ichi
- 2010 · Zatoichi: The Last as Tendo
- 2010 · Haru's Journey as Tadao Nakai
- 2009 · Listen to My Heart as Kyozo Hayami
- 2009 · Tatsuya Nakadai on 'The Human Condition' as Self
- 2009 · Through the Mist as (Archive Footage)
- 2007 · Samurai Banners as
- 2006 · Murder of the Inugami Clan as Sahei Inugami
- 2005 · Yamato as
- 2005 · Wish Upon a Star as Takanori Wakamiya
- 2005 · 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 · Akira Kurosawa: It Is Wonderful to Create: 'Yojimbo' as Self
- 2002 · Akira Kurosawa: It Is Wonderful to Create: 'Kagemusha' as Self
- 2002 · Akira Kurosawa: It Is Wonderful to Create: 'Sanjuro' as Self
- 2002 · Akira Kurosawa: It Is Wonderful to Create: 'High and Low' as Self
- 2002 · Dawn of a New Day: The Man Behind VHS as Matsushita (Matsushita Denki Co.)
- 2002 · To Dance with the White Dog as Eisuke Nakamoto
- 2002 · Vengeance for Sale as Umetaro Katakura
- 2001 · 嘱託刑事・小山田昭平 旅路の果て as
- 2000 · Kurosawa as Self
- 2000 · After the Rain as Tsuji Gettan
- 1999 · Jubaku: Spellbound as Hideaki Sasaki
- 1999 · Kurosawa: The Last Emperor as Self
- 1996 · The Life and Love of Kenji Miyazawa as Seijiro Miyazawa
- 1995 · A Son Of The Good Earth as
- 1995 · East Meets West as Kaishu Katsu
- 1993 · Summer of the Moonlight Sonata as
- 1993 · Kin chan no Cinema Jack as
- 1993 · Lone Wolf and Cub: The Final Conflict as Yagyu Retsudo
- 1992 · Wicked City as Daishu
- 1992 · Faraway Sunset as Kobayashi
- 1992 · Pinwheel Hamakichi's Spell as
- 1992 · Basara: The Princess Goh as Oribe Furuta
- 1992 · Pinwheel Hamakichi's Spell as
- 1991 · Heat Wave as Tsunejiro Murai
- 1991 · Florence My Love as
- 1990 · 13 Assassins as
- 1989 · Let Him Rest in Peace as
- 1989 · Four Days of Snow and Blood as Sugiyama
- 1989 · Return from the River Kwai as Major Harada
- 1988 · Another Way: D-Kikan-Joho as
- 1988 · Oración as Heihachiro Wagu
- 1987 · Trinacria: Porsche 959 as
- 1987 · Hachiko as Shujiro Ueno
- 1987 · Taikoki as (Narrator)
- 1986 · Michi as Seiji Tajima
- 1986 · Atami Murder Case as Denbei Nikaido
- 1985 · The Empty Table as Nobuyuki Kidoji
- 1985 · Ran as Lord Hidetora Ichimonji
- 1985 · A. K. as Self
- 1985 · Making of Ran as Self
- 1984 · Fireflies in the North as Takeshi Tsukigata
- 1983 · The Fir Trees Remain as
- 1983 · Momi no Ki wa Nokotta: Ranshin as
- 1983 · Shadow Hunters as
- 1983 · Battle Anthem as
- 1983 · Final Yamato as Narrator
- 1982 · The Legend of Sayo as
- 1982 · Tange Sazen: The Million Ryo Pot as Sazen Tange
- 1982 · The Law of Hell as
- 1982 · Onimasa: A Japanese Godfather as Masagoro Kiryuin - Onimasa
- 1981 · Willful Murder as Yashiro
- 1981 · Magistrate of the Floating World as
- 1981 · Kinagashi Bugyō as
- 1980 · Port Arthur as Maresuke Nogi
- 1980 · Kagemusha as Shingen Takeda / Kagemusha
- 1979 · Hunter in the Dark as Gomyo Kiyoemon
- 1978 · Blood Type: Blue as Minami
- 1978 · The Phoenix as Jingi the Conqueror, leader of the Takamagahara
- 1978 · Bandits vs. Samurai Squadron as Kumokiri Nizaemon
- 1978 · Queen Bee as Ginzo Daidoji
- 1977 · Sugata Sanshiro as Yano
- 1977 · Suna no Utsuwa as 今西栄太郎
- 1976 · The Corporation as
- 1976 · Human Revolution II as
- 1976 · Elegy as Setsuo Katsuragi
- 1975 · Solar Eclipse as Yasuo Hoshino, the Chief Cabinet Secretary
- 1975 · I Am a Cat as Kushami
- 1975 · Battle Cry as Hijikata Toshizo
- 1975 · The Gate of Youth as
- 1974 · The Family as Teppei Manpyo
- 1973 · Rise, Fair Sun as
- 1973 · The Human Revolution as
- 1973 · Belladonna of Sadness as The Devil (voice)
- 1973 · The King as Kinjiro Sekine
- 1972 · Shin Heike Monogatari as Taira no Kiyomori
- 1971 · The Wolves as Seji Iwahashi
- 1971 · Inn of Evil as Sadashichi
- 1971 · The Battle of Okinawa as Colonel Hiromichi Yahara
- 1971 · Challenge at Dawn as Tsukagoshi
- 1970 · Will to Conquer as
- 1970 · Zatoichi Goes to the Fire Festival as Ronin
- 1970 · The Scandalous Adventures of Buraikan as Naojiro Kataoka
- 1970 · The Ambitious as Shintaro Nakaoka
- 1970 · Duel at Fort Ezo as Daizennokami Honjo
- 1969 · Portrait of Hell as Yoshihide
- 1969 · Blood End as Sentaro
- 1969 · Tenchu! as Hanpeita Takechi
- 1969 · Battle of the Japan Sea as Major Genjiro Akashi
- 1969 · Safari 5000 as
- 1969 · Goyokin as Magobei Wakizaka
- 1968 · The Human Bullet as Narrator
- 1968 · Admiral Yamamoto as Narrator (voice)
- 1968 · Kill! as Genta
- 1968 · Today We Kill, Tomorrow We Die! as James Elfego
- 1967 · Journey as
- 1967 · Japan's Longest Day as Narrator (voice)
- 1967 · Samurai Rebellion as Tatewaki Asano
- 1967 · Gomez's Name is Gomez as Sakamoto
- 1967 · ゴメスの名はゴメス as
- 1967 · Kojiro as Musashi Miyamoto
- 1967 · The Age of Assassins as Shinji Kikyo
- 1966 · The Daphne as
- 1966 · The Face of Another as Mr. Okuyama
- 1966 · The Sword of Doom as Ryunosuke Tsukue
- 1966 · Cash Calls Hell as Oida
- 1965 · Fort Graveyard as Sakuma
- 1965 · Illusion of Blood as Iyemon Tamiya
- 1965 · Three Yakuza as
- 1965 · The Last Judgment as
- 1965 · Kwaidan as Minokichi (segment "The Woman of the Snow")
- 1964 · Ant Hell War as
- 1964 · Mr. Giant's Victory Flag as
- 1963 · A Woman's Life as
- 1963 · Miren as Ryôta Kinoshita
- 1963 · Legacy of the 500,000 as Mitsura Gunji
- 1963 · High and Low as Chief Detective Tokura
- 1963 · Pressure of Guilt as
- 1963 · Yushu Heiya as Tatsumi
- 1962 · Chibusa o daku musume tachi as
- 1962 · Harakiri as Hanshiro Tsugumo
- 1962 · Love Under the Crucifix as Ukon Takayama
- 1962 · The Inheritance as Kikuo Furukawa
- 1962 · Sanjuro as Hanbei Muroto
- 1961 · Immortal Love as Heibei
- 1961 · As the Clouds Scatter as
- 1961 · The Other Woman as Minami
- 1961 · Yojimbo as Unosuke, gunfighter
- 1961 · The Human Condition III: A Soldier's Prayer as Kaji
- 1961 · The Human Condition as Kaji
- 1960 · Get 'em All as Tsubota
- 1960 · The Blue Beast as
- 1960 · Daughters, Wives and a Mother as Kuroki Shingo
- 1960 · When a Woman Ascends the Stairs as Kenichi Komatsu
- 1959 · The Human Condition II: Road to Eternity as Kaji
- 1959 · Pilgrimage at Night as
- 1959 · Three Dolls in Ginza as Kyosuke Tamura
- 1959 · Odd Obsession as Kimura
- 1959 · The Beast Shall Die as Kunihiko Date
- 1959 · The Human Condition I: No Greater Love as Kaji
- 1958 · The Naked Sun as
- 1958 · Conflagration as Tokari
- 1958 · Diary of an Elegant Hot Spring as Kazuo Shimada
- 1958 · Oban kanketsu hen as Shin Don
- 1958 · Go and Get It as His assistant
- 1958 · All About Marriage as Akira Nakayama
- 1958 · A Boy and Three Mothers as The Engineer
- 1958 · Kampai! Miai Kekkon as Kunihiko Sasada
- 1957 · Teenage Sazae as
- 1957 · Zokuzoku Ôban: Dotô hen as Shindon
- 1957 · Black River as Jo
- 1957 · Skin-Colored Moon as Jirô Taki
- 1957 · A Dangerous Hero as
- 1957 · Zoku Ôban: Fûun hen as Shin don
- 1957 · The Shadow Daughter as
- 1957 · Untamed Woman as Kimura
- 1957 · Ôban as Shin Don
- 1956 · The Mandarin Room as
- 1956 · Sazae-san as Norisuke
- 1956 · The Thick-Walled Room as (Uncredited)
- 1956 · Love on Rainbow Island as Yûji Wada
- 1956 · Phoenix as
- 1955 · Floating Weeds Diary as
- 1954 · Seven Samurai as Samurai Wandering through Town (uncredited)
- Future · The Gion Tempest as Masaki