Highest rated as cast or director
Tatsuya Nakadai's 8 titles from the 1960s have a median Balasaur Score of 86, led by Harakiri (89) and High and Low (88), against 81 for those from the 1980s.
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.
Acted in 181
2020s
- 2022
The Pass: Last Days of the Samurai
Makino Tadayuki
2010s
- 2019
The Return
Unokichi
A Town and a Tall Chimney
Hyoma Sekine
- 2017
- 2016
Great evil does not go to sleep: The counterattack of the special investigation unit prosecutor
Yohei Tachibana
- 2015
A Duel Tale
Sanosuke Shoji
NORIN TEN inadzukagonjirō monogatari
Gonjiro Inazuka
Before The Leaves Fall
Kenichiro Miya
- 2014
Giovanni's Island
Older Junpei Senou (voice)
- 2013
The Human Trust
Nobuhiro Sasakura
Promise: The Nabari Poisoned Wine Case, The Life of a Death-row Inmate
Masaru Okunishi
- 2012
Gaku
Kazama Shin-ichi
- 2010
Zatoichi: The Last
Tendo
Haru's Journey
Tadao Nakai
2000s
- 2009
Through the Mist
(archive footage)
- 2007
- 2006
- 2005
Wish Upon a Star
Takanori Wakamiya
The Taika Reforms
Minabuchi no Syôan
- 2004
- 2003
Like Asura
Kotaro Takezawa
- 2002
To Dance with the White Dog
Eisuke Nakamoto
Vengeance for Sale
Umetaro Katakura
- 2000
1990s
- 1999
- 1996
The Life and Love of Kenji Miyazawa
Seijiro Miyazawa
- 1995
A Son of the Good Earth
TV
- 1993
Summer of the Moonlight Sonata
Movie
Kin chan no Cinema Jack
Movie
Lone Wolf and Cub: The Final Conflict
Yagyu Retsudo
- 1992
Faraway Sunset
Kobayashi
Pinwheel Hamakichi's Spell
TV
Basara: The Princess Goh
Oribe Furuta
Pinwheel Hamakichi's Spell
Hamakichi
- 1991
Florence My Love
Movie
- 1990
Battleship Yamato
Vice Admiral Seiichi Itō
13 Assassins
Shinzaemon Shimada
1980s
- 1989
Let Him Rest in Peace
Movie
Return from the River Kwai
Major Harada
- 1988
Another Way: D-Kikan-Joho
Shimamura
- 1987
Trinacria: Porsche 959
Movie
- 1986
Michi
Seiji Tajima
- 1985
- 1984
The Fox Dancing in the Dusk
Movie
- 1983
The Fir Trees Remain
Movie
Momi no Ki wa Nokotta: Ranshin
TV
Shadow Hunters
Movie
- 1982
Tange Sazen: The Million Ryo Pot
Sazen Tange
The Law of Hell
Ikuzô
- 1981
Willful Murder
Yashiro
Magistrate of the Floating World
Movie
Kinagashi Bugyō
TV
- 1980
Aoki Ookami Narukichiomoase no Shougai
ナレーション · 2 episodes
1970s
- 1979
- 1978
Blood Type: Blue
Minami
The Phoenix
Jingi the Conqueror, leader of the Takamagahara
- 1977
Sugata Sanshiro
Yano
Suna no Utsuwa
今西栄太郎 · 6 episodes
- 1976
Human Revolution II
Movie
Elegy
Setsuo Katsuragi
- 1975
Battle Cry
Hijikata Toshizo
- 1974
The Family
Teppei Manpyo / Keisuke Manpyo
- 1973
Rise, Fair Sun
Sakuzo
The Human Revolution
Nichiren
The King
Kinjiro Sekine
- 1972
Shin Heike Monogatari
Taira no Kiyomori · 52 episodes
- 1971
The Wolves
Seji Iwahashi
The Battle of Okinawa
Colonel Hiromichi Yahara
Challenge at Dawn
Tsukagoshi
- 1970
Will to Conquer
Yoshida Tōyō
Zatoichi Goes to the Fire Festival
Ronin
The Ambitious
Shintaro Nakaoka
Duel at Fort Ezo
Daizennokami Honjo
1960s
- 1969
Blood End
Sentaro
Portrait of Hell
Yoshihide
Tenchu!
Hanpeita Takechi
Safari 5000
Masaomi Takeuchi
Goyokin
Magobei Wakizaka
- 1968
- 1967
The Journey
Yuichiro
Who Is Gomez?
Sakamoto
Kojiro
Musashi Miyamoto
The Age of Assassins
Shinji Kikyo
- 1966
The Daphne
Movie
The Sword of Doom
Ryunosuke Tsukue
- 1965
Fort Graveyard
Sakuma
Illusion of Blood
Iyemon Tamiya
Three Yakuza
Movie
The Last Judgment
Jiro
- 1964
Ant Hell War
Movie
Mr. Giant's Victory Flag
Movie
- 1963
A Woman's Life
Takashi Akimoto
Miren
Ryôta Kinoshita
Legacy of the 500,000
Mitsura Gunji
Pressure of Guilt
Ichiro Hamano
Madame Aki
Tatsumi
- 1962
Farm Girls
Kenichi
The Inheritance
Kikuo Furukawa
- 1961
As the Clouds Scatter
James Kimura
The Other Woman
Minami
- 1960
Get 'em All
Tsubota
The Blue Beast
Yasuhiko Kuroki
Daughters, Wives and a Mother
Kuroki Shingo
When a Woman Ascends the Stairs
Kenichi Komatsu
1950s
- 1959
Pilgrimage at Night
Kaname
Three Dolls in Ginza
Kyosuke Tamura
Odd Obsession
Kimura
The Beast Shall Die
Kunihiko Date
- 1958
The Naked Sun
Jiro Maeda
Conflagration
Tokari
Diary of an Elegant Hot Spring
Kazuo Shimada
Oban kanketsu hen
Shin Don
Go and Get It
Hara
All About Marriage
Akira Nakayama
A Boy and Three Mothers
Kensaku, the Engineer
Kampai! Miai Kekkon
Kunihiko Sasada
- 1957
Teenage Sazae
Norisuke
Zokuzoku Ôban: Dotô hen
Shindon
Skin-Colored Moon
Jirô Taki
A Dangerous Hero
Reporter Imamura
Zoku Ôban: Fûun hen
Shin don
The Shadow Daughter
Motohashi
Untamed Woman
Kimura
Ôban
Shin Don
- 1956
The Mandarin Room
Ando
Sazae-san
Norisuke
The Thick-Walled Room
Prisoner (uncredited)
Love on Rainbow Island
Yûji Wada
Phoenix
Keiichi Naganuma
- 1955
Floating Weeds Diary
Union Member
- 1954
How the Bell of Liberty Rings
(uncredited)
No release date
The Human Condition
Kaji
Appearances25
2020s
- 2025
The Limit
Narrator (voice)
- 2022
Life Work of Akira Kurosawa
Self
2010s
- 2019
Sleeping Village
Narrator (voice)
- 2018
Henkan kōshōjin: Itsuka, Okinawa o torimodosu
Narrator (voice)
- 2017
Tatsuya Nakadai on Five Japanese Masters
self
- 2016
Mifune: The Last Samurai
Self (archive footage)
- 2015
Futari no shikeishû - saishin imada hirakarezu
Narrator (voice)
Nakadai Tatsuya: to Live for Acting
Self
- 2014
Isao Takahata and His Tale of The Princess Kaguya
Self
2000s
- 2009
Tatsuya Nakadai on 'The Human Condition'
Self
- 2002
Akira Kurosawa: It Is Wonderful to Create: 'Kagemusha'
Self
Akira Kurosawa: It Is Wonderful to Create: 'High and Low'
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: 'Ran'
Self
- 2000
Kurosawa
Self
1990s
- 1999
Kurosawa: The Last Emperor
Self
1980s
- 1987
Taikoki
Narrator (voice)
- 1985
A. K.
Self
Making of Ran
Self
- 1983
Final Yamato
Narrator
1960s
- 1968
The Human Bullet
Narrator (voice)
Admiral Yamamoto
Narrator (voice)
- 1967
Japan's Longest Day
Narrator (voice)