Tatsuya Nakadai
Actor
Born December 13, 1932 in 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).
Filmography
The Gion Tempest
Masaki
The Limit
Narrator
Life Work of Akira Kurosawa
Self
The Pass: Last Days of the Samurai
Makino Tadayuki
The Return
A Town and a Tall Chimney
Sleeping Village
(narration)
Henkan kōshōjin: Itsuka, Okinawa o torimodosu
Narrator
Lear on the Shore
Kuwahata Chokichi
Great evil does not go to sleep: The counterattack of the special investigation unit prosecutor
Yohei Tachibana
A Duel Tale
NORINTEN 稲塚権次郎物語
ふたりの死刑囚
Narrator
Before The Leaves Fall
Kenichiro Miya
Nakadai Tatsuya: to Live for Acting
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
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
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
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
Heat Wave
Tsunejiro Murai
Florence My Love
13 Assassins
Let Him Rest in Peace
Four Days of Snow and Blood
Sugiyama
Return from the River Kwai
Major Harada
Another Way: D-Kikan-Joho
Oración
Heihachiro Wagu
Trinacria: Porsche 959
Hachiko
Shujiro Ueno
Taikoki
(Narrator)
Michi
Seiji Tajima
Atami Murder Case
Denbei Nikaido
The Empty Table
Nobuyuki Kidoji
Ran
Lord Hidetora Ichimonji
A. K.
Self
Making of Ran
Self
Fireflies in the North
Takeshi Tsukigata
The Fox Dancing in the Dusk
The Fir Trees Remain
Momi no Ki wa Nokotta: Ranshin
Shadow Hunters
Battle Anthem
Final Yamato
Narrator
The Legend of Sayo
Tange Sazen: The Million Ryo Pot
Sazen Tange
The Law of Hell
Onimasa: A Japanese Godfather
Masagoro Kiryuin - Onimasa
Willful Murder
Yashiro
Magistrate of the Floating World
Kinagashi Bugyō
Aoki Ookami Narukichiomoase no Shougai
ナレーション
Port Arthur
Maresuke Nogi
Kagemusha
Shingen Takeda / Kagemusha
Hunter in the Dark
Gomyo Kiyoemon
Blood Type: Blue
Minami
The Phoenix
Jingi the Conqueror, leader of the Takamagahara
Bandits vs. Samurai Squadron
Kumokiri Nizaemon
Queen Bee
Ginzo Daidoji
Sugata Sanshiro
Yano
Suna no Utsuwa
今西栄太郎
The Corporation
Human Revolution II
Elegy
Setsuo Katsuragi
Solar Eclipse
Yasuo Hoshino, the Chief Cabinet Secretary
I Am a Cat
Kushami
Battle Cry
Hijikata Toshizo
The Gate of Youth
The Family
Teppei Manpyo
Rise, Fair Sun
Sakuzo
The Human Revolution
Belladonna of Sadness
The Devil (voice)
The King
Kinjiro Sekine
Shin Heike Monogatari
Taira no Kiyomori
The Wolves
Seji Iwahashi
Inn of Evil
Sadashichi
The Battle of Okinawa
Colonel Hiromichi Yahara
Challenge at Dawn
Tsukagoshi
Will to Conquer
Zatoichi Goes to the Fire Festival
Ronin
The Scandalous Adventures of Buraikan
Naojiro Kataoka
The Ambitious
Shintaro Nakaoka
Duel at Fort Ezo
Daizennokami Honjo
Portrait of Hell
Yoshihide
Blood End
Sentaro
Tenchu!
Hanpeita Takechi
Battle of the Japan Sea
Major Genjiro Akashi
Safari 5000
Goyokin
Magobei Wakizaka
The Human Bullet
Narrator (voice)
Admiral Yamamoto
Narrator (voice)
Kill!
Genta
Today We Kill, Tomorrow We Die!
James Elfego
Journey
Japan's Longest Day
Narrator (voice)
Samurai Rebellion
Tatewaki Asano
Gomez's Name is Gomez
Sakamoto
Kojiro
Musashi Miyamoto
The Age of Assassins
Shinji Kikyo
The Daphne
The Face of Another
Mr. Okuyama
The Sword of Doom
Ryunosuke Tsukue
Cash Calls Hell
Oida
Fort Graveyard
Sakuma
Illusion of Blood
Iyemon Tamiya
Three Yakuza
The Last Judgment
Kwaidan
Minokichi (segment "The Woman of the Snow")
Ant Hell War
Mr. Giant's Victory Flag
A Woman's Life
Miren
Ryôta Kinoshita
Legacy of the 500,000
Mitsura Gunji
High and Low
Chief Detective Tokura
Pressure of Guilt
Madame Aki
Tatsumi
Farm Girls
Harakiri
Hanshiro Tsugumo
Love Under the Crucifix
Ukon Takayama
The Inheritance
Kikuo Furukawa
Sanjuro
Hanbei Muroto
Immortal Love
Heibei
As the Clouds Scatter
The Other Woman
Minami
Yojimbo
Unosuke, gunfighter
The Human Condition III: A Soldier's Prayer
Kaji
Get 'em All
Tsubota
The Blue Beast
Yasuhiko Kuroki
Daughters, Wives and a Mother
Kuroki Shingo
When a Woman Ascends the Stairs
Kenichi Komatsu
The Human Condition II: Road to Eternity
Kaji
Pilgrimage at Night
Three Dolls in Ginza
Odd Obsession
Kimura
The Beast Shall Die
Kunihiko Date
The Human Condition I: No Greater Love
Kaji
The Human Condition
Kaji
The Naked Sun
Conflagration
Tokari
Diary of an Elegant Hot Spring
Kazuo Shimada
Oban kanketsu hen
Shin Don
Go and Get It
His assistant
All About Marriage
Akira Nakayama
A Boy and Three Mothers
The Engineer
Kampai! Miai Kekkon
Kunihiko Sasada
Teenage Sazae
Zokuzoku Ôban: Dotô hen
Shindon
Black River
Jo
Skin-Colored Moon
Jirô Taki
A Dangerous Hero
Zoku Ôban: Fûun hen
Shin don
The Shadow Daughter
Untamed Woman
Kimura
Ôban
Shin Don
The Mandarin Room
Sazae-san
Norisuke
The Thick-Walled Room
(Uncredited)
Love on Rainbow Island
Yûji Wada
Phoenix
Floating Weeds Diary
How the Bell of Liberty Rings
(uncredited)
Seven Samurai
Samurai Wandering through Town (uncredited)