Caramel Corn

Name
Tatsuya Nakadai

Known For
Acting

Birthday
1932-12-13

Deathday
2025-11-08 (93 years old)

Place of Birth
Meguro, Tokyo, Japan

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.

Known For

Movies

Tv Shows

1965 Kwaidan as Minokichi (segment "The Woman of the Snow")
1962 Sanjuro as Hanbei Muroto
1959 The Human Condition I: No Greater Love as Kaji
1985 Ran as Lord Hidetora Ichimonji
1980 Kagemusha as Shingen Takeda / Kagemusha
1961 Yojimbo as Unosuke, gunfighter
1987 Hachiko as Shujiro Ueno
1967 Samurai Rebellion as Tatewaki Asano
1963 High and Low as Chief Detective Tokura
1956 Phoenix
1959 The Human Condition II: Road to Eternity as Kaji
1961 The Human Condition III: A Soldier's Prayer as Kaji
1971 The Wolves as Seji Iwahashi
1962 Harakiri as Hanshiro Tsugumo
1966 The Face of Another as Mr. Okuyama
1960 When a Woman Ascends the Stairs as Kenichi Komatsu
1969 Tenchu! as Hanpeita Takechi
1959 Odd Obsession as Kimura
1990 13 Assassins
1979 Hunter in the Dark as Gomyo Kiyoemon
2018 Henkan kōshōjin: Itsuka, Okinawa o torimodosu as Narrator
1968 Kill! as Genta
1981 Magistrate of the Floating World
2005 Wish Upon a Star as Takanori Wakamiya
1968 Today We Kill, Tomorrow We Die! as James Elfego
1969 Goyokin as Magobei Wakizaka
1965 Illusion of Blood as Iyemon Tamiya
1983 Final Yamato as Narrator
1964 Ant Hell War
1992 Wicked City as Daishu
1966 The Sword of Doom as Ryunosuke Tsukue
1969 Portrait of Hell as Yoshihide
1970 Zatoichi Goes to the Fire Festival as Ronin
1960 Daughters, Wives and a Mother as Kuroki Shingo
2000 Kurosawa as Self
1989 Return from the River Kwai as Major Harada
1957 Zokuzoku Ôban: Dotô hen as Shindon
1958 Oban kanketsu hen as Shin Don
1978 Bandits vs. Samurai Squadron as Kumokiri Nizaemon
1957 Ôban as Shin Don
1957 Zoku Ôban: Fûun hen as Shin don
1958 Conflagration as Tokari
1971 Inn of Evil as Sadashichi
1957 Black River as Jo
2010 Haru's Journey as Tadao Nakai
1969 Blood End as Sentaro
1968 The Human Bullet as Narrator (voice)
1982 Onimasa: A Japanese Godfather as Masagoro Kiryuin - Onimasa
1961 Immortal Love as Heibei
1969 Battle of the Japan Sea as Major Genjiro Akashi
2003 Like Asura as Kotaro Takezawa
2012 Japan's Tragedy as Fujio Murai
1995 East Meets West as Kaishu Katsu
2016 Great evil does not go to sleep: The counterattack of the special investigation unit prosecutor as Yohei Tachibana
1975 I Am a Cat as Kushami
1991 Heat Wave as Tsunejiro Murai
1971 The Battle of Okinawa as Colonel Hiromichi Yahara
1999 Kurosawa: The Last Emperor as Self
1962 The Inheritance as Kikuo Furukawa
1988 Another Way: D-Kikan-Joho
1975 Battle Cry as Hijikata Toshizo
1993 Kin chan no Cinema Jack
1967 The Age of Assassins as Shinji Kikyo
1970 The Scandalous Adventures of Buraikan as Naojiro Kataoka
1982 The Law of Hell
1996 The Life and Love of Kenji Miyazawa as Seijiro Miyazawa
1970 Duel at Fort Ezo as Daizennokami Honjo
1962 Love Under the Crucifix as Ukon Takayama
2002 Vengeance for Sale as Umetaro Katakura
2000 After the Rain as Tsuji Gettan
1973 Rise, Fair Sun as Sakuzo
2012 Until the Break of Dawn as Sadayuki Akiyama
1957 A Dangerous Hero
2015 ふたりの死刑囚 as Narrator
2006 Murder of the Inugami Clan as Sahei Inugami
1958 A Boy and Three Mothers as The Engineer
1983 Battle Anthem
1984 Fireflies in the North as Takeshi Tsukigata
1985 The Empty Table as Nobuyuki Kidoji
2002 Dawn of a New Day: The Man Behind VHS as Matsushita (Matsushita Denki Co.)
2014 Giovanni's Island as Older Junpei Senou (voice)
1969 Safari 5000
2014 Isao Takahata and His Tale of The Princess Kaguya as Self
2009 Listen to My Heart as Kyozo Hayami
1957 Untamed Woman as Kimura
1992 Basara: The Princess Goh as Oribe Furuta
1973 Belladonna of Sadness as The Devil (voice)
1975 The Gate of Youth
2022 Life Work of Akira Kurosawa as Self
1954 Seven Samurai as Samurai Wandering through Town (uncredited)
1985 Making of Ran as Self
1983 The Fir Trees Remain
1993 Lone Wolf and Cub: The Final Conflict as Yagyu Retsudo
1974 The Family as Teppei Manpyo
1965 Fort Graveyard as Sakuma
1978 Queen Bee as Ginzo Daidoji
1970 Will to Conquer
2012 Gaku as Kazama Shin-ichi
1992 Pinwheel Hamakichi's Spell
1980 Port Arthur as Maresuke Nogi
1978 Blood Type: Blue as Minami
1983 Shadow Hunters
1970 The Ambitious as Shintaro Nakaoka
1966 Cash Calls Hell as Oida
2013 The Human Trust as Nobuhiro Sasakura
1965 Three Yakuza
1978 The Phoenix as Jingi the Conqueror, leader of the Takamagahara
1975 Solar Eclipse as Yasuo Hoshino, the Chief Cabinet Secretary
1985 A. K. as Self
2009 Through the Mist as (archive footage)
1963 A Woman's Life
1961 The Other Woman as Minami
1999 Jubaku: Spellbound as Hideaki Sasaki
1956 Love on Rainbow Island as Yûji Wada
1986 Atami Murder Case as Denbei Nikaido
1976 The Corporation
2017 Lear on the Shore as Kuwahata Chokichi
1976 Human Revolution II
1960 The Blue Beast as Yasuhiko Kuroki
1962 Farm Girls
1989 Four Days of Snow and Blood as Sugiyama
1988 Oración as Heihachiro Wagu
1961 As the Clouds Scatter
1967 Kojiro as Musashi Miyamoto
2002 Akira Kurosawa: It Is Wonderful to Create: 'Kagemusha' as Self
2002 Akira Kurosawa: It Is Wonderful to Create: 'Yojimbo' 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
2013 The Tale of The Princess Kaguya as Charcoal-maker Old Man (voice)
1965 The Last Judgment
1963 Pressure of Guilt
1958 The Naked Sun
1960 Get 'em All as Tsubota
1959 The Beast Shall Die as Kunihiko Date
1982 Tange Sazen: The Million Ryo Pot as Sazen Tange
1967 Journey
1968 Admiral Yamamoto as Narrator (voice)
2015 A Duel Tale
1987 Taikoki as (Narrator)
2015 Before The Leaves Fall as Kenichiro Miya
1963 Legacy of the 500,000 as Mitsura Gunji
2009 Tatsuya Nakadai on 'The Human Condition' as Self
1966 The Daphne
2019 The Return
2010 Zatoichi: The Last as Tendo
1981 Willful Murder as Yashiro
1992 Faraway Sunset as Kobayashi
1958 All About Marriage as Akira Nakayama
2002 To Dance with the White Dog as Eisuke Nakamoto
1982 The Legend of Sayo
1986 Michi as Seiji Tajima
1956 Sazae-san as Norisuke
1957 Teenage Sazae
2005 Yamato
1959 Pilgrimage at Night
1977 Sugata Sanshiro as Yano
2019 A Town and a Tall Chimney
1973 The Human Revolution
2022 The Pass: Last Days of the Samurai as Makino Tadayuki
1967 Japan's Longest Day as Narrator (voice)
2019 Sleeping Village as (narration)
2013 Promise: The Nabari Poisoned Wine Case, The Life of a Death-row Inmate
2015 NORINTEN 稲塚権次郎物語
1989 Let Him Rest in Peace
1958 Diary of an Elegant Hot Spring as Kazuo Shimada
1955 Floating Weeds Diary
1967 Gomez's Name is Gomez as Sakamoto
1993 Summer of the Moonlight Sonata
1957 The Shadow Daughter
1956 The Mandarin Room
1957 Skin-Colored Moon as Jirô Taki
1958 Go and Get It as His assistant
1958 Kampai! Miai Kekkon as Kunihiko Sasada
Soon The Gion Tempest as Masaki
1963 Miren as Ryôta Kinoshita
1963 Madame Aki as Tatsumi
1964 Mr. Giant's Victory Flag
1971 Challenge at Dawn as Tsukagoshi
1973 The King as Kinjiro Sekine
1976 Elegy as Setsuo Katsuragi
1987 Trinacria: Porsche 959
1991 Florence My Love
2025 The Limit as Narrator
2005 The Taika Reforms as Minabuchi no Syôan
2014 Gun Woman as Hamazaki
1956 The Thick-Walled Room as (Uncredited)
1954 How the Bell of Liberty Rings as (uncredited)
1959 Three Dolls in Ginza
2015 Nakadai Tatsuya: to Live for Acting
1984 The Fox Dancing in the Dusk
1990 戦艦大和
2002 Akira Kurosawa: It Is Wonderful to Create: 'Ran' as Self

1972 Shin Heike Monogatari ( 52 episodes ) as Taira no Kiyomori
2014 A Sinner's Lie ( 5 episodes ) as Kenzo Haneda
2007 Samurai Banners ( 54 episodes )
2004 Crying Out Love, in the Center of the World ( 11 episodes ) as Matsumoto Kentaro
2001 嘱託刑事･小山田昭平　旅路の果て ( 1 episode )
1995 A Son of the Good Earth ( 11 episodes )
1967 ゴメスの名はゴメス ( 5 episodes )
1981 Kinagashi Bugyō ( 1 episode )
1983 Momi no Ki wa Nokotta: Ranshin ( 1 episode )
1992 Pinwheel Hamakichi's Spell ( 6 episodes )
1977 Suna no Utsuwa ( 6 episodes ) as 今西栄太郎
1980 Aoki Ookami Narukichiomoase no Shougai ( 2 episodes ) as ナレーション
1959 The Human Condition ( 6 episodes ) as Kaji

Powered By