Photo/Illutration Tatsuya Nakadai in February 2022 (Asahi Shimbun file photo)

Versatile actor Tatsuya Nakadai, who delivered powerful performances in classic films directed by Akira Kurosawa as well as on stage and TV, died of pneumonia on Nov. 8. He was 92.

A private wake and funeral will be held among close relatives for the illustrious actor. 

Nakadai, whose real name was Motohisa Nakadai, was born in Tokyo in 1932. He joined the Haiyuza acting school and entered the Haiyuza theater company in 1955.

Shortly afterward, he was chosen for “Ghosts,” a play written by Henrik Ibsen, earning acclaim as a major new talent.

On the silver screen, he gained attention through director Masaki Kobayashi’s six-part war drama series "The Human Condition" released between 1959 and 1961. In the 1960s, he rose to stardom through Kurosawa’s epic films.

He left a strong impression on audiences as the nihilistic antagonist to Toshiro Mifune in "Yojimbo" released in 1961 and in "Sanjuro" in 1962. In 1980, he starred in "Kagemusha," which won the top prize at the Cannes Film Festival.

At the Haiyuza theater company, he appeared in a wide range of productions, including "Hamlet," "Tokaido Yotsuya Kaidan" (Yotsuya ghost story) and "Miss Julie." After leaving the company in 1979, Nakadai continued to be highly active on stage.

In 1975, together with his wife, the late actress Yasuko Miyazaki, Nakadai founded and led the acting school “Mumeijuku” to train young actors. Among the school's alumni are Koji Yakusho, Toru Masuoka and Mayumi Wakamura.

Nakadai also served as honorary director of the Noto Engekido theater in Nanao, Ishikawa Prefecture, which he helped establish through ties formed during training camps offered by the Mumeijuku, and continued to perform there.

Nakadai's final stage appearances were in May and June this year in "Mother Courage and Her Children," staged at the theater as a reconstruction support performance for victims of the Noto Peninsula earthquake.

He was also active in TV dramas, appearing in NHK’s historical drama "Shin Heike Monogatari" and in "A Son of the Good Earth."

Nakadai's many honors include the Blue Ribbon Award for Best Actor, the Kinokuniya theater award for individual achievement, The Asahi Prize and the Order of Culture.

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