Noboru Nakaya
Noboru Nakaya | |
|---|---|
Nakaya in 1954 | |
| Born | May 4, 1929 |
| Died | November 16, 2006 (aged 77) Minato, Tokyo, Japan |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1950–2004 |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 1 |
Noboru Nakaya (仲谷 昇, Nakaya Noboru; May 4, 1929 – November 16, 2006)[1] was a Japanese actor. His career spanned over five decades in theater, film, and television, with more than 100 credits. Nakaya was best known internationally for his role as a ghost samurai in Kwaidan (1964), and also appeared in Hitokiri (1969) and Lady Snowblood (1973).[2]
Biography
Nakaya was born on May 4, 1929, in the Takanawa district of Shiba, Tokyo (now part of Minato, Tokyo).[3] He initially enrolled in the Faculty of Law at Chuo University but dropped out to pursue a career in the performing arts. His passion for theater led him to join the Bungakuza Theatre Research Institute in 1950, where he trained as an actor, making his stage debut in Musashino Fujo (1950).[4][5][6]
Dissatisfied with the troupe's direction, he departed Bungakuza. In 1975, Nakaya, Hiroshi Akutagawa, Isao Hashizume and Nobuo Nakamura left Gekidan Un to form the Theatrical group EN. Following Akutagawa's death in 1981, Nakaya assumed the role of representative director for both the group and its operating corporation, a position he held until his death. His theatrical contributions earned him a Kazuo Kikuta Theatre Award.[5]
His film debut was An Inlet of Muddy Water in 1953.[7] He soon transitioned into more prominent parts, particularly under the direction of Yasuzō Masumura, with whom he collaborated on several key films in the late 1950s and 1960s. He appeared in several other notable films thereafter. Internationally, Nakaya remains best recognized for his performance as a ghostly samurai in a segment of Masaki Kobayashi's anthology horror epic Kwaidan (1964). He was the subject of one of Andy Warhol's Screen Tests in 1964.[2] Nakaya was married to actress Kyōko Kishida from 1954 until divorcing in 1978. The couple had only one child.[8]
Nakaya was an avid horse racing and baseball enthusiast, also contributing to a serialized column in a horse racing magazine. A devoted fan of the Yomiuri Giants, he served as the ace pitcher of Bungakuza's company baseball team during his time with the troupe. Plagued by chronic respiratory issues, he required an oxygen tank in his dressing room in later years. Following a two-hour television drama appearance in 2004, he experienced repeated hospitalizations.[5] He died on November 16, 2006, at a hospital in Minato, Tokyo, at the age of 77. The cause was chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, a condition exacerbated by years of smoking.[6]
Selected filmography
Films
- An Inlet of Muddy Water (1953) - debut[7]
- Flowing (1956)[7]
- Times of Joy and Sorrow (1957)[7]
- Her Brother (1960)[9]
- A Wanderer's Notebook (1962)[10]
- Kwaidan (1964)[2]
- Hitokiri (1969)[9]
- Bakumatsu (1970)[11]
- Lady Snowblood (1973)[2]
- The Barren Zone (1976)[11]
- A Tale of Sorrow and Sadness (1977)[11]
- Spider-Man (1978)[11]
- Nihon no Fixer (1979)[11]
- G.I. Samurai (1979)[11]
- Willful Murder (1981)[11]
- Shosetsu Yoshida Gakko (1983), Nobusuke Kishi[12]
- W's Tragedy (1984)[11]
- Love Letter (1985)[11]
Television series
- Hana no Shōgai (1963)[13]
- Key Hunter (1968-1973)[11]
- Ten to Chi to (1969)[14]
- Kunitori Monogatari (1973), Toki Masayori[15]
- Katsu Kaishū (1974), Takahashi Deishū[16]
- Kaze to Kumo to Niji to (1976), Fujiwara no Tadahira[11]
- Spider-Man (1978-1979)[11]
- Kusa Moeru (1979), Tsuchimikado Michichika[17]
- Dai Sentai Goggle-V (1982-1983)[11]
- MegaBeast Investigator Juspion (1985)[11]
- I'll Never Love Anyone Anymore (1991)[11]
- The Abe Clan (1995)[11]
References
- ^ "仲谷昇：プロフィール・作品情報・最新ニュース". Eiga.com (in Japanese). Retrieved 2025-11-01.
- ^ a b c d Angell, Callie (2006). The Films of Andy Warhol: Catalogue Raisonné. New York: H.N. Abrams: Whitney Museum of American Art. p. 138. ISBN 9780300260113.
- ^ "仲谷昇 - 人物情報・関連映画". Kinema Junpo (in Japanese). Retrieved 2025-11-01.
- ^ "仲谷昇さんが死去／個性派俳優として活躍". The Shikoku Shimbun. Retrieved 2025-11-01.
- ^ a b c "個性派俳優の仲谷昇さんが死去". The Asahi Shimbun. Retrieved 2025-11-01.
- ^ a b "asahi.com：俳優の仲谷昇さん死去 舞台や映画で幅広く活躍 - おくやみ". www.asahi.com (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 2006-11-19. Retrieved 2025-11-01.
- ^ a b c d "仲谷昇 : 関連作品（映画） (7)". 映画.com (in Japanese). Retrieved 2025-11-01.
- ^ "Kyoko Kishida, 76, Is Dead; Actress in 'Woman in the Dunes' (Published 2006)". The New York Times. 2006-12-28. Retrieved 2025-11-01.
- ^ a b "仲谷昇 - 映画ならKINENOTE". www.kinenote.com. Retrieved 2025-11-01.
- ^ Uhlich, Keith (2006-03-01). "Review: A Wanderer's Notebook - Slant Magazine". Slant Magazine. Archived from the original on 2025-01-20. Retrieved 2025-11-01.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p allcinema. "仲谷昇". allcinema (in Japanese). Retrieved 2025-11-01.
- ^ "小説吉田学校". eiga.com (in Japanese). Retrieved 28 November 2025.
- ^ "花の生涯". Haiyaku Jiten (in Japanese). Retrieved 1 December 2025.
- ^ "天と地と". Haiyaku Jiten (in Japanese). Retrieved 28 November 2025.
- ^ "国盗り物語". Haiyaku Jiten (in Japanese). Retrieved 28 November 2025.
- ^ "勝海舟". Haiyaku Jiten (in Japanese). Retrieved 28 November 2025.
- ^ "草燃える". Haiyaku Jiten (in Japanese). Retrieved 28 November 2025.