Tatsuya Nakadai, a leading actor in contemporary Japan who was active on the front lines of both movie and theater including starring in Akira Kurosawa's "Kagemusha" and "Yojimbo," has died. He was 92.

A native of Tokyo, Nakadai, whose real name is Motohisa Nakadai, joined the Haiyuza theater troupe's training school in 1952. A former boxer of large build, Nakadai made his mark as a rising star in stage productions such as "Reijo Julie" (Miss Julie) and "Sanmon Opera" (The Threepenny Opera). He debuted as a movie actor in the 1956 film "Hi no Tori." He appeared in numerous films of legendary directors like "Ningen no Joken" (The Human Condition) and "Seppuku" (Harakiri), both by Masaki Kobayashi, as well as Akira Kurosawa's "Yojimbo" (The Bodyguard) and "Kagemusha" (The Shadow Warrior). The films starring Nakadai won Oscars in the United States and prizes at all the world's three major film festivals (Canne, Venice and Berlin). He rose to global stardom with his powerful gaze and commanding presence.

Nakadai launched the Mumeijuku acting school in 1975 alongside his wife Yasuko Miyazaki, an actress and stage director, who later passed away in 1996. After leaving the Haiyuza troupe where he belonged for 27 years, he focused on fostering the next generation, producing actors like Koji Yakusho and Mayumi Wakamura.

On stage, Nakadai appeared in an array of Shakespeare titles, such as "Hamlet" and "Macbeth." From 2005, he co-starred with Tomoko Naraoka in "Driving Miss Daisy" produced by The Mingei Theatre Company (Gekidan Mingei), capturing the National Arts Festival grand prix (best play). In fall 2014, he took on a role in the monologue "Barrymore" at age 81, delivering a hauntingly intense performance, as if he identified himself with the late American actor John Barrymore (1882-1942) in his later years. Nakadai won the Order of Culture in 2015.

(Mainichi)