--- name: "Kaoru Kobayashi" canonical: "https://film.one/person/kaoru-kobayashi" fi1m_id: "kaoru-kobayashi" imdb_id: "nm0462006" tmdb_id: 20332 wikidata_id: "Q5359721" roles: ["Actor"] born: "4 September 1951" reviewed_on_fi1m: 2 average_fi1m_score: 84 average_as: "actor" average_over: 2 updated: "2026-09-17T22:14:48.598383+00:00" licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Kaoru Kobayashi ## Identity Kaoru Kobayashi - **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/kaoru-kobayashi - **Type:** Person - **Fi1m ID:** kaoru-kobayashi - **IMDb ID:** nm0462006 - **TMDB ID:** 20332 - **Wikidata ID:** Q5359721 - **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaoru_Kobayashi_(actor), https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5359721, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0462006/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/20332 Actor. Born 4 September 1951 in Kyōto, Kyōto Prefecture, Japan. ## Details - **Work:** Actor - **Born:** 4 September 1951, Kyōto, Kyōto Prefecture, Japan - **Active:** 1997–present - **Also known as:** 小林薫, 小林薰, こばやし かおる, کائورو کوبایاشی - **Average Fi1m score:** 84, as actor, over 2 titles - **Fi1m score by decade:** 1990s 88 (1), 2020s 81 (1) - **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaoru_Kobayashi_(actor), https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5359721, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0462006/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/20332 ## Streaming the US now - **HBO Max:** [*Princess Mononoke*](https://film.one/film/princess-mononoke.md) (88) For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country. ## Biography Kaoru Kobayashi is a Japanese actor born on 4 September 1951 in Kyoto. He began his career in the theatre, joining Jūrō Kara's Situation Theatre troupe in 1971 and remaining until 1980 before moving into film and television. He is known for voice performances in Studio Ghibli films, including Jikobo in *Princess Mononoke* (1997), the King in *Tales from Earthsea* (2006) and the Noble Pelican in *The Boy and the Heron* (2023). In live action he has played the Master in the *Midnight Diner* television series (2009–2014) and its film adaptations, as well as roles in *The Funeral* (1984), *The Great Passage* (2013) and *We Made a Beautiful Bouquet* (2021). Kobayashi has received several awards, including Best Supporting Actor at the 8th Yokohama Film Festival for *Sorobanzuku* (1986) and Best Actor at the 30th Yokohama Film Festival. *Sources: en.wikipedia.org, imdb.com.* ## On Fi1m (2) - *The Boy and the Heron* (2023), Fi1m 81, as Noble Pelican (voice) — [page](https://film.one/film/the-boy-and-the-heron.md) - *Princess Mononoke* (1997), Fi1m 88, as Jikobo (voice) — [page](https://film.one/film/princess-mononoke.md) ## Complete filmography (125) Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page. - *1972 Fireflies on the Shore* (2025), series, as Taiei Tamashiro - *The Last Blossom* (2025), as Akutsu (1986) (voice) - *憶えのない殺人* (2025), series, as 佐治英雄 - *Sham* (2025), Actor - *Oboe no Nai Satsujin* (2025), Actor - *Shrink: Psychiatrist Yowai* (2024), series, as Tsuruichi Senkawa - *Promised Land* (2024), Actor - *The Yin Yang Master Zero* (2024), as Fujiwara Yosuke - *The Tiger and Her Wings* (2024), series, as 穗高重亲 - *Kubi* (2023), as Tokugawa Ieyasu - *Tsugaru Lacquer Girl* (2023), Actor - *Worry Not, She's the Boss* (2023), series, as Yamagami Tatsuo - *The Boy and the Heron* (2023), as Noble Pelican (voice) — Fi1m 81, [page](https://film.one/film/the-boy-and-the-heron.md) - *THE DAYS* (2023), series, as Furuya - *Fixer* (2023), series, as Ichiro Suzaki - *Baian the Assassin, M.D.: Part 2* (2023), Actor - *Trapped Balloon* (2023), as Shigezo Kojima - *Dr. Coto's Clinic* (2022), as Shoichi Hoshino - *Yes, I Can't Swim* (2022), as Professor Kamoshita - *Winter Rose* (2022), as Giichi Wataguchi - *Solomon's Perjury* (2021), series, as Masao Tsuzaki - *Arc* (2021), as Rihito - *Reach Beyond the Blue Sky* (2021), series, as Shibusawa Ichiroemon [Eiichi's father] - *We Made a Beautiful Bouquet* (2021), as Hirotaro Yamane - *Independence of Japan* (2020), Actor - *Kotaki Brothers and Shikuhakku* (2020), series, as Kotaki Reiji - *Off the Record* (2020), series, as Noto Toru - *Top League* (2019), series, Actor - *The Great White Tower* (2019), series, as Mataichi Zaizen - *The Island of Cats* (2019), as Iwao - *His Lost Name* (2019), as Tetsuro - *Miracles* (2018), series, as Shun Samejima - *The Miracle of Crybaby Shottan* (2018), as Mamoru Fujita - *Hagetaka* (2018), series, as Ryosuke Iijima - *The Miracles of the Namiya General Store* (2017), as Takeo Matsuoka - *Lear on the Shore* (2017), Actor - *Mukoku* (2017), as Shozo Yatabe - *Kiseki: Sobito of That Day* (2017), as Seiichi Morita - *Grade A Reversal* (2017), series, Actor - *Heaven* (2017), series, as Doizaki Gen - *An Emblem Dedicated To You* (2017), as Nakagawa Akiko - *Fueled: The Man They Called "Pirate"* (2016), as Jisaku Koka - *Midnight Diner 2* (2016), as Master - *Midnight Diner: Tokyo Stories* (2016), series, as Master - *Natsumi's Firefly* (2016), as Sakakiyama - *Hibana: Spark* (2016), series, Actor - *Botchan* (2016), as Madonna’s father - *Godan* (2015), series, Actor - *Koinaka* (2015), series, as Hirotoshi Serizawa - *The Emperor's Cook* (2015), series, Actor - *Midnight Diner* (2014), as Master - *Climbing to Spring* (2014), as Isao Nagamine - *Hello Life from 55* (2014), series, Actor - *Villiany Ganbo* (2014), series, as Gen Koshimizu - *The End of Summer* (2013), as Shingo Kosugi - *Woman* (2013), series, as Uesugi Kentaro - *Trembling Cow* (2013), series, Actor - *Leaving on the 15th Spring* (2013), as Toshiharu Nakazato - *The Great Passage* (2013), as Kohei Araki - *Kyokuhoku Rhapsody* (2013), as Masashi Sera - *Kyokuhoku Rhapsody* (2013), series, Actor - *Carnation* (2011), series, as Zensaku Ohara - *The Castle of Sand* (2011), series, Actor - *The Egoists* (2011), as Kazuyuki Ninomiya - *The Marriage Counselor* (2011), series, as Syogo Yanagisawa · Creator - *Sketches of Kaitan City* (2010), as Ryuzo Higa - *Abraxas* (2010), Actor - *A Crowd of Three* (2010), Actor - *Haru's Journey* (2010), as Kinoshita - *Boys on the Run* (2010), as Suzuki san - *News Sokuho wa Nagareta* (2009), series, Actor - *Midnight Diner* (2009), series, as Master - *Kamui* (2009), as Hanbei - *The Sun in Kurobe* (2009), series, as Kunpei Takiyama - *Then Summer Came* (2008), Actor - *Vacation* (2008), as Toru Hirai - *Double Trouble* (2008), Actor - *Tokyo Towers: Mom and Me, and Sometimes Dad* (2007), as Oton - *The Blossoming of Etsuko Kamiya* (2006), as Yasutada Kamiya - *Tales from Earthsea* (2006), as The King (voice) - *A Melody for My Father* (2005), Actor - *Female* (2005), as Old man - *Quill: The Life of a Guide Dog* (2004), as Mitsuru Watanabe - *Like Asura* (2003), as Takao Satomi - *Dr. Coto's Clinic* (2003), series, as 星野正一 - *Ten Dark Women* (2002), Actor - *Ghiblies: Episode 2* (2002), as Toshi-chan (Voice) - *The Private Detective Mike* (2002), series, Actor - *Le Secret* (1999), as 杉田平介 - *The Black House* (1999), Actor - *Secret* (1999), as Heisuke Sugita - *The Washing Machine* (1999), as Taiji Ogami - *Coquille* (1999), as Tatsuya Urayama - *Ten urara* (1998), series, as 松尾良治 - *Princess Mononoke* (1997), as Jikobo (voice) — Fi1m 88, [page](https://film.one/film/princess-mononoke.md) - *ナニワ金融道* (1996), series, as 桑田 澄男 - *The Way of Osaka Financing 1* (1996), Actor - *Uneasy Encounters* (1994), Actor - *Chibusa* (1993), Actor - *The Tomb & the Divorce* (1993), as Yoshinori Ishino - *Sunflower on the Hill* (1993), series, as Yuzuhara Kohei - *The Last U-Boat* (1993), as Tatsumi - Fregattenkapitän - *Shimanto River* (1991), Actor - *Hong Kong Paradise* (1990), as Hachirou Ooishi - *Untamagiru* (1989), as Giru - *Love and Action in Osaka* (1988), Actor - *Bakayaro! I'm Plenty Mad* (1988), as Shigeru Kosaka (Episode 4) - *Twilight of the Cockroaches* (1987), as Saitô (voice) - *Iki no Iiyatsu* (1987), series, Actor - *For Business* (1986), as Miyabi Sakuramiya - *And Then* (1985), as Tsunejiro Hiraoka - *Love Letter* (1985), as Tetsushi Kamiya - *Paradise View* (1985), as Reishu Goya - *The Funeral* (1984), as Inose - *The Wangan Highway* (1984), as Nakamura - *Gubijinsô: Maboroshi no ai ni hateta murasaki no onna!* (1984), Actor - *ふぞろいの林檎たち* (1983), series, as 仲手川 耕一 - *The Second Love* (1983), as Hideo Hyuga - *The Dropout* (1982), as Miura - *Toge no Gunzo* (1982), series, Actor - *Hear the Wind Sing* (1981), as Me - *Call from Darkness* (1981), as Tatsuo Tamura - *Eighteen Years, to the Sea* (1979), as Eisuke Morimoto - *Ballad of Orin* (1977), as Torazo - *The Sea of Genkai* (1976), Actor ## Gallery - ![Kaoru Kobayashi](https://film.one/media/person/87234/gallery-f0bfa562de3d.jpg) Kaoru Kobayashi — Image via TMDB - ![Kaoru Kobayashi](https://film.one/media/person/87234/gallery-d888347fb248.jpg) Kaoru Kobayashi — Image via TMDB - ![Kaoru Kobayashi](https://film.one/media/person/87234/gallery-ea37fbb0e687.jpg) Kaoru Kobayashi — Image via TMDB --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/kaoru-kobayashi