Tatsuya Nakadai
Born December 13, 1932 (Age: 93)
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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. 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.
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.
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Filmography
The Tale of The Princess Kaguya
2013
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as Charcoal-maker Old Man (voice)
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Age: 80
The Taika Reforms
2005
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as Minabuchi no Syôan
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Age: 72
After the Rain
2000
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as Tsuji Gettan
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Age: 67
The Life and Love of Kenji Miyazawa
1996
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as Seijiro Miyazawa
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Age: 63
Pinwheel Hamakichi's Spell
1992
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as
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Age: 59
Florence My Love
1991
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as
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Age: 58
13 Assassins
1990
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as
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Age: 57
Michi
1986
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as Seiji Tajima
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Age: 53
Ran
1985
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as Lord Hidetora Ichimonji
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Age: 52
Shadow Hunters
1983
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as
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Age: 50
The Law of Hell
1982
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as
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Age: 49
Kagemusha
1980
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as Shingen Takeda / Kagemusha
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Age: 47
The King
1973
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as Kinjiro Sekine
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Age: 40
Challenge at Dawn
1971
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as Tsukagoshi
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Age: 38
Tenchu!
1969
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as Hanpeita Takechi
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Age: 36
Battle of the Japan Sea
1969
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as Major Genjiro Akashi
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Age: 36
Safari 5000
1969
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as
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Age: 36
Mr. Giant's Victory Flag
1964
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as
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Age: 31
Miren
1963
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as Ryôta Kinoshita
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Age: 30
Legacy of the 500,000
1963
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as Mitsura Gunji
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Age: 30
Pressure of Guilt
1963
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as
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Age: 30
Madame Aki
1963
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as Tatsumi
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Age: 30
Chibusa o daku musume tachi
1962
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as
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Age: 29
Immortal Love
1961
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as Heibei
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Age: 28
As the Clouds Scatter
1961
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as
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Age: 28
The Other Woman
1961
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as Minami
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Age: 28
Yojimbo
1961
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as Unosuke, gunfighter
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Age: 28
The Human Condition III: A Soldier's Prayer
1961
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as Kaji
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Age: 28
Get 'em All
1960
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as Tsubota
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Age: 27
The Blue Beast
1960
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as
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Age: 27
The Human Condition II: Road to Eternity
1959
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as Kaji
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Age: 26
Pilgrimage at Night
1959
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as
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Age: 26
Three Dolls in Ginza
1959
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as
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Age: 26
Odd Obsession
1959
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as Kimura
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Age: 26
The Beast Shall Die
1959
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as Kunihiko Date
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Age: 26
The Human Condition I: No Greater Love
1959
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as Kaji
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Age: 26
Diary of an Elegant Hot Spring
1958
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as Kazuo Shimada
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Age: 25
Oban kanketsu hen
1958
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as Shin Don
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Age: 25
Go and Get It
1958
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as His assistant
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Age: 25
All About Marriage
1958
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as Akira Nakayama
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Age: 25
A Boy and Three Mothers
1958
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as The Engineer
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Age: 25
Kampai! Miai Kekkon
1958
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as Kunihiko Sasada
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Age: 25
The Mandarin Room
1956
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as
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Age: 24
Sazae-san
1956
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as Norisuke
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Age: 23
Love on Rainbow Island
1956
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as Yûji Wada
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Age: 23
Phoenix
1956
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as
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Age: 23
Floating Weeds Diary
1955
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as
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Age: 22
How the Bell of Liberty Rings
1954
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as (uncredited)
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Age: 21
Seven Samurai
1954
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as Samurai Wandering through Town (uncredited)
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Age: 21