Tatsuya Nakadai
- Known for
- Acting
- Born
- December 13, 1932
- Died
- November 8, 2025
- Birthplace
- Meguro, Tokyo, Japan
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.
Filmography
The Limit 2025
as Narrator (voice)
Life Work of Akira Kurosawa 2022
as Self
The Pass: Last Days of the Samurai 2022
as Makino Tadayuki
The Return 2019
as Unokichi
A Town and a Tall Chimney 2019
as Hyoma Sekine
Sleeping Village 2019
as Narrator (voice)
Henkan kōshōjin: Itsuka, Okinawa o torimodosu 2018
as Narrator (voice)
Lear on the Shore 2017
as Kuwahata Chokichi
Tatsuya Nakadai on Five Japanese Masters 2017
as self
Mifune: The Last Samurai 2016
as Self (archive footage)
Great evil does not go to sleep: The counterattack of the special investigation unit prosecutor 2016
as Yohei Tachibana
A Duel Tale 2015
as Sanosuke Shoji
NORIN TEN inadzukagonjirō monogatari 2015
as Gonjiro Inazuka
Futari no shikeishû - saishin imada hirakarezu 2015
as Narrator (voice)
Before The Leaves Fall 2015
as Kenichiro Miya
Nakadai Tatsuya: to Live for Acting 2015
as Self
Isao Takahata and His Tale of The Princess Kaguya 2014
as Self
Gun Woman 2014
as Hamazaki
Giovanni's Island 2014
as Older Junpei Senou (voice)
The Tale of The Princess Kaguya 2013
as Charcoal-maker Old Man (voice)
The Human Trust 2013
as Nobuhiro Sasakura
Promise: The Nabari Poisoned Wine Case, The Life of a Death-row Inmate 2013
as Masaru Okunishi
Until the Break of Dawn 2012
as Sadayuki Akiyama
Japan's Tragedy 2012
as Fujio Murai
Gaku 2012
as Kazama Shin-ichi
Zatoichi: The Last 2010
as Tendo
Haru's Journey 2010
as Tadao Nakai
Listen to My Heart 2009
as Kyozo Hayami
Tatsuya Nakadai on 'The Human Condition' 2009
as Self
Through the Mist 2009
as (archive footage)
Tatsuya Nakadai on WHEN A WOMAN ASCENDS THE STAIRS 2007
as Self
Murder of the Inugami Clan 2006
as Sahei Inugami
Yamato 2005
Actor
Wish Upon a Star 2005
as Takanori Wakamiya
A Golden Age 2005
as Self
The Taika Reforms 2005
as Minabuchi no Syôan
Like Asura 2003
as Kotaro Takezawa
Akira Kurosawa: It Is Wonderful to Create: 'Ran' 2002
as Self
Akira Kurosawa: It Is Wonderful to Create: 'Sanjuro' 2002
as Self
Akira Kurosawa: It Is Wonderful to Create: 'Yojimbo' 2002
as Self
Akira Kurosawa: It Is Wonderful to Create: 'High and Low' 2002
as Self
Akira Kurosawa: It Is Wonderful to Create: 'Kagemusha' 2002
as Self
Dawn of a New Day: The Man Behind VHS 2002
as Matsushita (Matsushita Denki Co.)
To Dance with the White Dog 2002
as Eisuke Nakamoto
Vengeance for Sale 2002
as Umetaro Katakura
Kurosawa 2000
as Self
After the Rain 2000
as Tsuji Gettan
Jubaku: Spellbound 1999
as Hideaki Sasaki
Kurosawa: The Last Emperor 1999
as Self
The Life and Love of Kenji Miyazawa 1996
as Seijiro Miyazawa
East Meets West 1995
as Kaishu Katsu
Summer of the Moonlight Sonata 1993
Actor
Kin chan no Cinema Jack 1993
Actor
Lone Wolf and Cub: The Final Conflict 1993
as Yagyu Retsudo
Wicked City 1992
as Daishu
Faraway Sunset 1992
as Kobayashi
Basara: The Princess Goh 1992
as Oribe Furuta
Pinwheel Hamakichi's Spell 1992
as Hamakichi
Heat Wave 1991
as Tsunejiro Murai
Florence My Love 1991
Actor
Battleship Yamato 1990
as Vice Admiral Seiichi Itō
13 Assassins 1990
as Shinzaemon Shimada
Let Him Rest in Peace 1989
Actor
Four Days of Snow and Blood 1989
as Sugiyama
Return from the River Kwai 1989
as Major Harada
Another Way: D-Kikan-Joho 1988
as Shimamura
Oración 1988
as Heihachiro Wagu
Trinacria: Porsche 959 1987
Actor
Hachiko 1987
as Shujiro Ueno
Taikoki 1987
as Narrator (voice)
Michi 1986
as Seiji Tajima
Atami Murder Case 1986
as Denbei Nikaido
The Empty Table 1985
as Nobuyuki Kidoji
Ran 1985
as Lord Hidetora Ichimonji
A. K. 1985
as Self
Making of Ran 1985
as Self
Fireflies in the North 1984
as Takeshi Tsukigata
The Fox Dancing in the Dusk 1984
Actor
The Fir Trees Remain 1983
Actor
Shadow Hunters 1983
Actor
Battle Anthem 1983
as Narrator (voice)
Final Yamato 1983
as Narrator
The Legend of Sayo 1982
as Otozo
Tange Sazen: The Million Ryo Pot 1982
as Sazen Tange
The Law of Hell 1982
as Ikuzô
Onimasa: A Japanese Godfather 1982
as Masagoro Kiryuin - Onimasa
Willful Murder 1981
as Yashiro
Magistrate of the Floating World 1981
Actor
Port Arthur 1980
as Maresuke Nogi
Kagemusha 1980
as Shingen Takeda / Kagemusha
Hunter in the Dark 1979
as Gomyo Kiyoemon
Blood Type: Blue 1978
as Minami
The Phoenix 1978
as Jingi the Conqueror, leader of the Takamagahara
Bandits vs. Samurai Squadron 1978
as Kumokiri Nizaemon
Queen Bee 1978
as Ginzo Daidoji
Sugata Sanshiro 1977
as Yano
The Corporation 1976
as Tadashi Iki
Human Revolution II 1976
Actor
Elegy 1976
as Setsuo Katsuragi
Solar Eclipse 1975
as Yasuo Hoshino, the Chief Cabinet Secretary
I Am a Cat 1975
as Kushami
Battle Cry 1975
as Hijikata Toshizo
The Gate of Youth 1975
Actor
The Family 1974
as Teppei Manpyo / Keisuke Manpyo
Rise, Fair Sun 1973
as Sakuzo
The Human Revolution 1973
as Nichiren
Belladonna of Sadness 1973
as The Devil (voice)
The King 1973
as Kinjiro Sekine
The Wolves 1971
as Seji Iwahashi
Inn of Evil 1971
as Sadashichi
The Battle of Okinawa 1971
as Colonel Hiromichi Yahara
Challenge at Dawn 1971
as Tsukagoshi
Will to Conquer 1970
as Yoshida Tōyō
Zatoichi Goes to the Fire Festival 1970
as Ronin
The Scandalous Adventures of Buraikan 1970
as Naojiro Kataoka
The Ambitious 1970
as Shintaro Nakaoka
Duel at Fort Ezo 1970
as Daizennokami Honjo
Blood End 1969
as Sentaro
Portrait of Hell 1969
as Yoshihide
Tenchu! 1969
as Hanpeita Takechi
Battle of the Japan Sea 1969
as Major Genjiro Akashi
Safari 5000 1969
as Masaomi Takeuchi
Goyokin 1969
as Magobei Wakizaka
The Human Bullet 1968
as Narrator (voice)
Admiral Yamamoto 1968
as Narrator (voice)
Kill! 1968
as Genta
Today We Kill, Tomorrow We Die! 1968
as James Elfego
The Journey 1967
as Yuichiro
Japan's Longest Day 1967
as Narrator (voice)
Who Is Gomez? 1967
as Sakamoto
Samurai Rebellion 1967
as Tatewaki Asano
Kojiro 1967
as Musashi Miyamoto
The Age of Assassins 1967
as Shinji Kikyo
The Daphne 1966
Actor
The Face of Another 1966
as Mr. Okuyama
The Sword of Doom 1966
as Ryunosuke Tsukue
Cash Calls Hell 1966
as Oida
Fort Graveyard 1965
as Sakuma
Illusion of Blood 1965
as Iyemon Tamiya
Three Yakuza 1965
Actor
The Last Judgment 1965
as Jiro
Kwaidan 1965
as Minokichi (segment "The Woman of the Snow")
Ant Hell War 1964
Actor
Mr. Giant's Victory Flag 1964
Actor
A Woman's Life 1963
as Takashi Akimoto
Miren 1963
as Ryôta Kinoshita
Legacy of the 500,000 1963
as Mitsura Gunji
High and Low 1963
as Chief Detective Tokura
Pressure of Guilt 1963
as Ichiro Hamano
Madame Aki 1963
as Tatsumi
Farm Girls 1962
as Kenichi
Harakiri 1962
as Hanshiro Tsugumo
Love Under the Crucifix 1962
as Ukon Takayama
The Inheritance 1962
as Kikuo Furukawa
Sanjuro 1962
as Hanbei Muroto
Immortal Love 1961
as Heibei
As the Clouds Scatter 1961
as James Kimura
The Other Woman 1961
as Minami
Yojimbo 1961
as Unosuke, gunfighter
The Human Condition III: A Soldier's Prayer 1961
as Kaji
Get 'em All 1960
as Tsubota
The Blue Beast 1960
as Yasuhiko Kuroki
Daughters, Wives and a Mother 1960
as Kuroki Shingo
When a Woman Ascends the Stairs 1960
as Kenichi Komatsu
The Human Condition II: Road to Eternity 1959
as Kaji
Pilgrimage at Night 1959
as Kaname
Three Dolls in Ginza 1959
as Kyosuke Tamura
Odd Obsession 1959
as Kimura
The Beast Shall Die 1959
as Kunihiko Date
The Human Condition I: No Greater Love 1959
as Kaji
The Naked Sun 1958
as Jiro Maeda
Diary of an Elegant Hot Spring 1958
as Kazuo Shimada
Conflagration 1958
as Tokari
Oban kanketsu hen 1958
as Shin Don
Go and Get It 1958
as Hara
All About Marriage 1958
as Akira Nakayama
The Gion Tempest 1958
as Masaki
A Boy and Three Mothers 1958
as Kensaku, the Engineer
Kampai! Miai Kekkon 1958
as Kunihiko Sasada
Teenage Sazae 1957
as Norisuke
Zokuzoku Ôban: Dotô hen 1957
as Shindon
Black River 1957
as Joe
Skin-Colored Moon 1957
as Jirô Taki
A Dangerous Hero 1957
as Reporter Imamura
Zoku Ôban: Fûun hen 1957
as Shin don
The Shadow Daughter 1957
as Motohashi
Untamed Woman 1957
as Kimura
Ôban 1957
as Shin Don
The Mandarin Room 1956
as Ando
Sazae-san 1956
as Norisuke
The Thick-Walled Room 1956
as Prisoner (uncredited)
Love on Rainbow Island 1956
as Yûji Wada
Phoenix 1956
as Keiichi Naganuma
Floating Weeds Diary 1955
as Union Member
How the Bell of Liberty Rings 1954
as (uncredited)
Seven Samurai 1954
as Samurai Wandering through Town (uncredited)
Credits from TMDB.