is a

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...

. His name was given by

Yasujirō Ozu was a Japanese film director and screenwriter. He began his career during the era of silent films, and his last films were made in colour in the early 1960s. Ozu first made a number of short comedies, before turning to more serious themes in t ...

. His father,

Keiji Sada is the stage name for a Japanese cinema actor active from the late-1940s to the early 1960s. His real name was Kanichi Nakai. He won the award for best actor at the 7th Blue Ribbon Awards for and . He was the father of the actor Kiichi Nakai an ...

, also a movie actor, died when Nakai was only two years old. Nakai started his acting career while he was still in university and was awarded the Rookie of the Year at the Japan Academy Awards in 1981. He won the Japan Academy Best Supporting Actor award in 1994 (for ''

47 Ronin 47, 47 or forty-seven may refer to: *47 (number) *47 BC * AD 47 *1947 * 2047 *'47 (brand), an American clothing brand * ''47'' (magazine), an American publication * 47 (song), a song by Sidhu Moose Wala *47, a song by New Found Glory from the alb ...

'') and Best Actor award in 2003 (for '' Mibu gishi den'' (''When the Last Sword is Drawn'')). He also won the award for best supporting actor at the 19th

Hochi Film Award The are film-specific prizes awarded by the ''Hochi Shimbun , previously known as , is a Japanese-language daily sports newspaper. In 2002, it had a circulation of a million copies a day. It is an affiliate newspaper of ''Yomiuri Shimbun''. ...

for ''

''. In 2003 he played a Japanese delegate to a Chinese emperor of the

Tang dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, t= ), or Tang Empire, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907 AD, with an Zhou dynasty (690–705), interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dyn ...

in ''

Warriors of Heaven and Earth ''Warriors of Heaven and Earth'' () is a 2003 Chinese action adventure film directed by He Ping. The film's notable cinematography captures a wide range of landscapes across China's Xinjiang province. It was China's official entry for the Academy ...

''. Though a few of his lines are in Japanese, most are in Mandarin. His older sister,

Kie Nakai is a Japanese actress. She won the award for best supporting actress at the 7th Yokohama Film Festival for ''Kanashii kibun de joke''. Filmography * ''Rhyme of Vengeance'' (1978) * ''Byoinzaka no Kubikukuri no Ie'' (1979) * ''Conquest'' (1982) * ...

, is also an actress.

Selected filmography

Film

Television

Video games

Japanese dubbing

Honours

Medal with Purple Ribbon are medals awarded by the Government of Japan. They are awarded to individuals who have done meritorious deeds and also to those who have achieved excellence in their field of work. The Medals of Honor were established on December 7, 1881, and we ...

(2020)

References

External links

Official profile
* 1961 births Living people Japanese male film actors Japanese male television actors Japanese male voice actors Taiga drama lead actors Male actors from Tokyo 20th-century Japanese male actors 21st-century Japanese male actors Recipients of the Medal with Purple Ribbon {{Japan-screen-actor-stub