Tatsuya Nakadai
Acting
- Born:
- 1932-12-13
- Died:
- 2025-11-08
- 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
Filmography
The Limit
Life Work of Akira Kurosawa
The Pass: Last Days of the Samurai
The Return
A Town and a Tall Chimney
Sleeping Village
Henkan kōshōjin: Itsuka, Okinawa o torimodosu
Lear on the Shore
Tatsuya Nakadai on Five Japanese Masters
Cold Case: Door of Truth
Great evil does not go to sleep: The counterattack of the special investigation unit prosecutor
A Duel Tale
NORIN TEN inadzukagonjirō monogatari
Futari no shikeishû - saishin imada hirakarezu
Before The Leaves Fall
Nakadai Tatsuya: to Live for Acting
Isao Takahata and His Tale of The Princess Kaguya
A Sinner's Lie
Gun Woman
Giovanni's Island
The Tale of The Princess Kaguya
The Human Trust
Promise: The Nabari Poisoned Wine Case, The Life of a Death-row Inmate
Until the Break of Dawn
Japan's Tragedy
Gaku
Zatoichi: The Last
Haru's Journey
Listen to My Heart
Tatsuya Nakadai on 'The Human Condition'
Through the Mist
Samurai Banners
Murder of the Inugami Clan
Yamato
Wish Upon a Star
The Taika Reforms
Crying Out Love, in the Center of the World
Like Asura
Akira Kurosawa: It Is Wonderful to Create: 'Kagemusha'
Akira Kurosawa: It Is Wonderful to Create: 'Yojimbo'
Akira Kurosawa: It Is Wonderful to Create: 'Sanjuro'
Akira Kurosawa: It Is Wonderful to Create: 'High and Low'
Akira Kurosawa: It Is Wonderful to Create: 'Ran'
Dawn of a New Day: The Man Behind VHS
To Dance with the White Dog
Vengeance for Sale
嘱託刑事･小山田昭平 旅路の果て
Kurosawa
After the Rain
Jubaku: Spellbound
Kurosawa: The Last Emperor
The Life and Love of Kenji Miyazawa
A Son of the Good Earth
East Meets West
Summer of the Moonlight Sonata
Kin chan no Cinema Jack
Lone Wolf and Cub: The Final Conflict
Wicked City
Faraway Sunset
Pinwheel Hamakichi's Spell
Basara: The Princess Goh
Pinwheel Hamakichi's Spell
Heat Wave
Florence My Love
Battleship Yamato
13 Assassins
Let Him Rest in Peace
Four Days of Snow and Blood
Return from the River Kwai
Another Way: D-Kikan-Joho
Oración
Trinacria: Porsche 959
Hachiko
Taikoki
Michi
Atami Murder Case
The Empty Table
Ran
A. K.
Making of Ran
Fireflies in the North
The Fox Dancing in the Dusk
The Fir Trees Remain
Momi no Ki wa Nokotta: Ranshin
Shadow Hunters
Battle Anthem
Final Yamato
The Legend of Sayo
Tange Sazen: The Million Ryo Pot
The Law of Hell
Onimasa: A Japanese Godfather
Willful Murder
Magistrate of the Floating World
Kinagashi Bugyō
Aoki Ookami Narukichiomoase no Shougai
Port Arthur
Kagemusha
Hunter in the Dark
Blood Type: Blue
The Phoenix
Bandits vs. Samurai Squadron
Queen Bee
Sugata Sanshiro
Suna no Utsuwa
The Corporation
Human Revolution II
Elegy
Solar Eclipse
I Am a Cat
Battle Cry
The Gate of Youth
The Family
Rise, Fair Sun
The Human Revolution
Belladonna of Sadness
The King
Shin Heike Monogatari
The Wolves
Inn of Evil
The Battle of Okinawa
Challenge at Dawn
Will to Conquer
Zatoichi Goes to the Fire Festival
The Scandalous Adventures of Buraikan
The Ambitious
Duel at Fort Ezo
Blood End
Portrait of Hell
Tenchu!
Battle of the Japan Sea
Safari 5000
Goyokin
The Human Bullet
Admiral Yamamoto
Kill!
Today We Kill, Tomorrow We Die!
The Journey
Japan's Longest Day
Samurai Rebellion
Who Is Gomez?
ゴメスの名はゴメス
Kojiro
The Age of Assassins
The Daphne
The Face of Another
The Sword of Doom
Cash Calls Hell
Fort Graveyard
Illusion of Blood
Three Yakuza
The Last Judgment
Kwaidan
Ant Hell War
Mr. Giant's Victory Flag
A Woman's Life
Miren
Legacy of the 500,000
High and Low
Pressure of Guilt
Madame Aki
Farm Girls
Harakiri
Love Under the Crucifix
The Inheritance
Sanjuro
Immortal Love
As the Clouds Scatter
The Other Woman
Yojimbo
The Human Condition III: A Soldier's Prayer
Get 'em All
The Blue Beast
Daughters, Wives and a Mother
When a Woman Ascends the Stairs
The Human Condition II: Road to Eternity
Pilgrimage at Night
Three Dolls in Ginza
Odd Obsession
The Beast Shall Die
The Human Condition I: No Greater Love
The Naked Sun
Conflagration
Diary of an Elegant Hot Spring
Oban kanketsu hen
Go and Get It
All About Marriage
The Gion Tempest
A Boy and Three Mothers
Kampai! Miai Kekkon
Teenage Sazae
Zokuzoku Ôban: Dotô hen
Black River
Skin-Colored Moon
A Dangerous Hero
Zoku Ôban: Fûun hen
The Shadow Daughter
Untamed Woman
Ôban
The Mandarin Room
Sazae-san
The Thick-Walled Room
Love on Rainbow Island
Phoenix
Floating Weeds Diary
How the Bell of Liberty Rings
Seven Samurai