Tatsuya Nakadai
- Acting
- December 13, 1932 · Meguro, Tokyo, Japan
- November 8, 2025
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
Filmography
- The Limit · Narrator (Voice)
- Life Work of Akira Kurosawa · Self
- The Pass: Last Days of the Samurai · Makino Tadayuki
- The Return · Unokichi
- A Town and a Tall Chimney · Hyoma Sekine
- Sleeping Village · Narrator (Voice)
- Henkan kōshōjin: Itsuka, Okinawa o torimodosu · Narrator (Voice)
- Lear on the Shore · Kuwahata Chokichi
- Tatsuya Nakadai on Five Japanese Masters · Self
- Mifune: The Last Samurai · Self
- Cold Case: Door of Truth · Suzaki Kiyoshi
- Great evil does not go to sleep: The counterattack of the special investigation unit prosecutor · Yohei Tachibana
- A Duel Tale · Sanosuke Shoji
- NORIN TEN inadzukagonjirō monogatari · Gonjiro Inazuka
- Futari no shikeishû - saishin imada hirakarezu · Narrator (Voice)
- Before The Leaves Fall · Kenichiro Miya
- Nakadai Tatsuya: to Live for Acting · Self
- Isao Takahata and His Tale of The Princess Kaguya · Self
- A Sinner's Lie · Kenzo Haneda
- Gun Woman · Hamazaki
- Giovanni's Island · Older Junpei Senou (Voice)
- The Tale of The Princess Kaguya · Charcoal-maker Old Man (Voice)
- The Human Trust · Nobuhiro Sasakura
- Promise: The Nabari Poisoned Wine Case, The Life of a Death-row Inmate · Masaru Okunishi
- Until the Break of Dawn · Sadayuki Akiyama
- Japan's Tragedy · Fujio Murai
- Gaku · Kazama Shin-ichi
- Zatoichi: The Last · Tendo
- Haru's Journey · Tadao Nakai
- Listen to My Heart · Kyozo Hayami
- Tatsuya Nakadai on 'The Human Condition' · Self
- Through the Mist · (archive footage)
- Samurai Banners
- Murder of the Inugami Clan · Sahei Inugami
- Yamato
- Wish Upon a Star · Takanori Wakamiya
- The Taika Reforms · Minabuchi no Syôan
- Crying Out Love, in the Center of the World · Matsumoto Kentaro
- Like Asura · Kotaro Takezawa
- Akira Kurosawa: It Is Wonderful to Create: 'Kagemusha' · Self
- Akira Kurosawa: It Is Wonderful to Create: 'Yojimbo' · Self
- Akira Kurosawa: It Is Wonderful to Create: 'Sanjuro' · Self
- Akira Kurosawa: It Is Wonderful to Create: 'High and Low' · Self
- Akira Kurosawa: It Is Wonderful to Create: 'Ran' · Self
- Dawn of a New Day: The Man Behind VHS · Matsushita (Matsushita Denki Co.)
- To Dance with the White Dog · Eisuke Nakamoto
- Vengeance for Sale · Umetaro Katakura
- 嘱託刑事･小山田昭平 旅路の果て
- Kurosawa · Self
- After the Rain · Tsuji Gettan
- Jubaku: Spellbound · Hideaki Sasaki
- Kurosawa: The Last Emperor · Self
- The Life and Love of Kenji Miyazawa · Seijiro Miyazawa
- A Son of the Good Earth
- East Meets West · Kaishu Katsu
- Summer of the Moonlight Sonata
- Kin chan no Cinema Jack
- Lone Wolf and Cub: The Final Conflict · Yagyu Retsudo
- Wicked City · Daishu
- Faraway Sunset · Kobayashi
- Pinwheel Hamakichi's Spell
- Basara: The Princess Goh · Oribe Furuta
- Pinwheel Hamakichi's Spell · Hamakichi
- Heat Wave · Tsunejiro Murai
- Florence My Love
- Battleship Yamato · Vice Admiral Seiichi Itō
- 13 Assassins · Shinzaemon Shimada
- Let Him Rest in Peace
- Four Days of Snow and Blood · Sugiyama
- Return from the River Kwai · Major Harada
- Another Way: D-Kikan-Joho · Shimamura
- Oración · Heihachiro Wagu
- Trinacria: Porsche 959
- Hachiko · Shujiro Ueno
- Taikoki · Narrator (Voice)
- Michi · Seiji Tajima
- Atami Murder Case · Denbei Nikaido
- The Empty Table · Nobuyuki Kidoji
- Ran · Lord Hidetora Ichimonji
- A. K. · Self