--- name: "Nobuo Nakamura" canonical: "https://film.one/person/nobuo-nakamura" fi1m_id: "nobuo-nakamura" imdb_id: "nm0620206" tmdb_id: 30772 wikidata_id: "Q3551306" roles: ["Actor"] born: "14 September 1908" died: "5 July 1991" reviewed_on_fi1m: 6 average_fi1m_score: 89 average_as: "actor" average_over: 6 updated: "2026-09-26T14:25:07.327421+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." --- # Nobuo Nakamura ## Identity Nobuo Nakamura - **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/nobuo-nakamura - **Type:** Person - **Fi1m ID:** nobuo-nakamura - **IMDb ID:** nm0620206 - **TMDB ID:** 30772 - **Wikidata ID:** Q3551306 - **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nobuo_Nakamura, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q3551306, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0620206/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/30772 Actor. Born 14 September 1908 in Otaru, Hokkaido, Japan. Died 5 July 1991. ## Details - **Work:** Actor - **Born:** 14 September 1908, Otaru, Hokkaido, Japan - **Died:** 5 July 1991 - **Active:** 1952–1985 - **Also known as:** Нобуо Накамура - **Frequently works with:** [Chishū Ryū](https://film.one/person/chishu-ryu.md), [Kōgo Noda](https://film.one/person/kogo-noda.md), [Yasujirō Ozu](https://film.one/person/yasujiro-ozu.md) - **Average Fi1m score:** 89, as actor, over 6 titles - **Fi1m score by decade:** 1950s 91 (3), 1960s 88 (2), 1980s 84 (1) - **Fi1m against the critics:** 89 to 84 across 6 titles - **Score spread:** 6 at 80+, 0 at 60–79, 0 under 60 - **Lead roles:** 0 of 4 acting credits billed first or second - **Genres:** Drama 5, Comedy 1, Crime 1, History 1, Mystery 1, Thriller 1 - **Screen time:** 13 hours of reviewed films - **Box office:** $460m across 4 films with figures - **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nobuo_Nakamura, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q3551306, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0620206/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/30772 ## Streaming the US now - **HBO Max:** [*Tokyo Story*](https://film.one/film/tokyo-story.md) (92), [*Ikiru*](https://film.one/film/ikiru.md) (92), [*High and Low*](https://film.one/film/high-and-low.md) (90), [*An Autumn Afternoon*](https://film.one/film/an-autumn-afternoon.md) (86) For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country. ## Fi1m on Nobuo Nakamura > Nobuo Nakamura gives officials and middle-class husbands a quiet, credible presence, making their failings recognisable without pushing for attention. We value his restraint, though repeated casting as respectable professionals can leave a somewhat narrow impression. The Deputy Mayor in *Ikiru* (1952) is a useful place to see what Nobuo Nakamura brings to an ensemble. His poised seriousness suits the official's bureaucratic indifference, and gives Akira Kurosawa a recognisable figure of authority. Takashi Shimura supplies the fear of wasted time at the film's centre; Nakamura helps us understand the institution around him. The satire sometimes explains what is already clear, though, and Nakamura's understated playing is welcome when the writing insists on making its point again. *Tokyo Story* (1953) makes gentler use of that restraint, casting him as Kurazo Kaneko, the henpecked husband of the eldest daughter. Yasujirō Ozu needs relatives who feel ordinary enough for their failings to be familiar, and Nakamura's mild manner fits that requirement. We found the family's neglect almost unbearable because Ozu refuses to turn anyone into a villain. The film needs patience at first; Nakamura's unshowy contribution is one reason to attend to the people beyond its centre. His film work became regular in the 1950s, and later roles kept returning him to families and professional hierarchies. Ozu cast him as Shuzo Taguchi in *Late Autumn* (1960), while Kurosawa made him Ishimaru, National Shoes' design department director, in *High and Low* (1963). There is a reservation here: repeated casting as officials and professionals can make the actor seem more predictable than the individual performances deserve. We would not make variety the chief reason to follow his work. The Old Gentleman in Itami's comedy *Tampopo* (1985) is a late-career cameo, away from those office titles. The stronger reason to return to Nakamura is the care he takes with the people around a film's centre. In Ozu and Kurosawa's ensembles, his restraint lets us notice those people without feeling that each supporting part is competing for its own scene. Start with *Tokyo Story*, but give it an evening when nobody is in a hurry. ## Biography Nobuo Nakamura (中村伸郎) was a Japanese stage and film actor. He was born on 14 September 1908 in Otaru, Hokkaido, and died on 5 July 1991. Nakamura appeared regularly in films from the 1950s, including roles as the deputy mayor in Akira Kurosawa's *Ikiru* (1952), Kurazo Kaneko in Yasujirō Ozu's *Tokyo Story* (1953), and Shuzo Kawai in *An Autumn Afternoon* (1962). Other notable film credits include *High and Low* (1963), *Throne of Blood* (1957), *Late Autumn* (1960) and *Tampopo* (1985). On stage, he joined the Bungakuza theatre company in 1938 and later co-founded the NLT company with Yukio Mishima. He performed in works including Shakespeare plays, Chekhov's *Uncle Vanya*, and Eugène Ionesco's *The Lesson*. *Sources: en.wikipedia.org, imdb.com.* ## On Fi1m (6) - *Tampopo* (1985), Fi1m 84, as Old Gentleman — [page](https://film.one/film/tampopo.md) - *High and Low* (1963), Fi1m 90, as Ishimaru, National Shoes Design Department Director — [page](https://film.one/film/high-and-low.md) - *An Autumn Afternoon* (1962), Fi1m 86, as Shuzo Kawai — [page](https://film.one/film/an-autumn-afternoon.md) - *Throne of Blood* (1957), Fi1m 88, as Phantom samurai — [page](https://film.one/film/throne-of-blood.md) - *Tokyo Story* (1953), Fi1m 92, as Kurazo Kaneko — [page](https://film.one/film/tokyo-story.md) - *Ikiru* (1952), Fi1m 92, as Deputy Mayor — [page](https://film.one/film/ikiru.md) ## Complete filmography (106) Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page. - *No Life King* (1989), Actor - *BU・SU* (1987), as Customer - *Tampopo* (1985), as Old Gentleman — Fi1m 84, [page](https://film.one/film/tampopo.md) - *The Tale of Saikaido* (1983), Actor - *Kemono Michi* (1982), series, Actor - *The Trading Company* (1980), series, as Mikio Hamashima - *Golden Partners* (1979), as Watsuji - *The White Tower* (1978), series, as 東貞蔵 - *Lullaby to Kill* (1977), as Hôan Tatara - *A Portrait of Shunkin* (1976), as Harumatsu(春松検校) - *The Last Song* (1975), Actor - *Tidal Wave* (1975), as Japanese Ambassador - *Submersion of Japan* (1973), as Japanese Ambassador - *Internal Sleuth* (1973), Actor - *The Twilight Years* (1973), as Fujieda (attorney at law) - *Cross-Currents* (1972), Actor - *君は海を見たか* (1971), Actor - *Maboroshi no Satsui* (1971), Actor - *The Militarists* (1970), as Koichi Kido - *The Creature Called Man* (1970), as Head of N-Bussan - *Sky Scraper!* (1969), Actor - *Futari no Koibito* (1969), Actor - *The Night of the Seagull* (1968), Actor - *Young Guy in Rio* (1968), Actor - *Five Gents and a Chinese Merchant* (1968), as Fujikawa - *Five Gents and Karate Grandpa* (1968), as Fujikawa (Atlas Motors President) - *Two in the Shadow* (1967), Actor - *Sodachi zakari* (1967), Actor - *Japan's Longest Day* (1967), as Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal Marquis Koichi Kido - *Thirst for Love* (1967), as Father-in-Law - *NET Playhouse* (1966), series, as Dr. Baba - *3 Raccoon Dogs* (1966), as Ryūtarō Ōsato - *The War of the Gargantuas* (1966), as Professor Kita - *That Complicated Guy* (1966), as Kensaku Suga - *Five Gents on the Spot* (1966), as Nobuo Tomioka - *The White Rose of Hong Kong* (1965), as Kazumasa Nagahara - *Frankenstein Conquers the World* (1965), as Dr. Suga - *You Can If You Try* (1965), Actor - *The Radish and the Carrot* (1965), Actor - *Female* (1964), Actor - *Dogora* (1964), as Doctor Matakata - *The Naked Executive* (1964), as Serizawa · executive - *3 Gents in the Snow Country* (1964), Actor - *High and Low* (1963), as Ishimaru · National Shoes Design Department Director — Fi1m 90, [page](https://film.one/film/high-and-low.md) - *An Autumn Afternoon* (1962), as Shuzo Kawai — Fi1m 86, [page](https://film.one/film/an-autumn-afternoon.md) - *A Night to Remember* (1962), Actor - *Mount Hakone* (1962), Actor - *Whirlpool of Love* (1962), Actor - *Structure of Hate* (1961), Actor - *City* (1961), Actor - *Okoto and Sasuke* (1961), as Shunsho Kengyo - *The Last War* (1961), as Chief Cabinet Secretary Fujikawa - *The Other Woman* (1961), as Kimura - *Blind Devotion* (1961), as Wataru Kamogawa - *The Legendary Hell* (1960), as Masabumi Gotō - *Late Autumn* (1960), as Shuzo Taguchi - *The False Student* (1960), as Jiro Takagi - *The Bad Sleep Well* (1960), as Legal Adviser - *The Twilight Story* (1960), Actor - *Just Barely* (1960), Actor - *The Lost Alibi* (1960), as Takeda - *Leader of the Bomb Girls* (1959), Actor - *Pilgrimage at Night* (1959), as Father - *The Rokumeikan* (1959), Actor - *The Beast Shall Die* (1959), as Professor Sugimura - *Vagabond Employee: Revenge* (1959), as Executive Watanabe - *The Cast-Off* (1959), as Kuga - *A Woman's Heart* (1959), Actor - *The Human Condition I: No Greater Love* (1959), as Honsha Buchô - *The Days of Evil Women* (1958), Actor - *Equinox Flower* (1958), as Toshihiko Kawai - *Flower's Yearning* (1958), as Hishikawa Kao - *Little Peach* (1958), Actor - *Advance Patrol* (1957), Actor - *Secret of Naruto* (1957), Actor - *The Shadow Daughter* (1957), as Yamagishi - *Half Human: The Story of the Abominable Snowman* (1957), as Prof. Tanaka - *Tokyo Twilight* (1957), as Sakae Aiba - *Night Butterflies* (1957), Actor - *Throne of Blood* (1957), as Phantom samurai — Fi1m 88, [page](https://film.one/film/throne-of-blood.md) - *Flowing* (1956), as Doctor - *Engagement Ring* (1956), as Yasuyuki Kawaguchi (Tokio’s father) - *Will-o'-the-Wisp* (1956), Actor - *Punishment Room* (1956), Actor - *Gendai no yokubô* (1956), Actor - *The Lady Was Pawn* (1956), Actor - *Farewell to Dream* (1956), as Seiji's father, Haruo - *Early Spring* (1956), as Arakawa - *I Live in Fear* (1955), as Psychologist - *The Romance of Yushima* (1955), Actor - *Beast Man Snow Man* (1955), as Professor Koizumi - *Hahabue kobue* (1955), Actor - *Yukiko* (1955), Actor - *Inhibited Love* (1955), Actor - *Kokoro ni hana no saku hi made* (1955), Actor - *Tomoshibi* (1954), Actor - *Itsuko to sono haha* (1954), as Nomura, Chairman - *One Night of Love* (1954), as Koizumi - *An Inlet of Muddy Water* (1953), Actor - *Tokyo Story* (1953), as Kurazo Kaneko — Fi1m 92, [page](https://film.one/film/tokyo-story.md) - *The Blue Revolution* (1953), Actor - *Sunflower Girl* (1953), Actor - *Ikiru* (1952), as Deputy Mayor — Fi1m 92, [page](https://film.one/film/ikiru.md) - *Doctor's Day Off* (1952), Actor - *Freedom School* (1951), Actor - *A Descendant of Urashima Taro* (1946), Actor ## Gallery - ![Nobuo Nakamura](https://film.one/media/person/59932/gallery-176f05b2ea42.jpg) Nobuo Nakamura — Shōchiku, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6e/Honjitsu_kyushin_%281952%29_Nobuo_Nakamura.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled) - ![From left to right: Rentarō Mikuni, Akiko Tamura, Nobuo Nakamura, Eijirō Yanagi, Rieko Sumi and Keiji Sada in Honjitsu kyūshin (本日休診) directed by Minoru Shibuya (1952)](https://film.one/media/person/59932/gallery-48333fa5efb1.jpg) From left to right: Rentarō Mikuni, Akiko Tamura, Nobuo Nakamura, Eijirō Yanagi, Rieko Sumi and Keiji Sada in Honjitsu kyūshin (本日休診) directed by Minoru Shibuya (1952) — Shōchiku, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5f/1952_-_Honjitsu_kyushin_5.jpg/1280px-1952_-_Honjitsu_kyushin_5.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail) - ![​『彼岸花』（1958年）](https://film.one/media/person/59932/gallery-3620c1954d51.jpg) ​『彼岸花』（1958年） — Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8b/Equinox-Flower-1.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled) - ![『秋刀魚の味』（1962年）の撮影現場。小津安二郎、中村伸郎。](https://film.one/media/person/59932/gallery-a74e4ed20ea9.jpg) 『秋刀魚の味』（1962年）の撮影現場。小津安二郎、中村伸郎。 — キネマ旬報社, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/87/Kinema-Junpo-1962-November-late-2.jpg/1280px-Kinema-Junpo-1962-November-late-2.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail) - ![『秋日和』（1960年）](https://film.one/media/person/59932/gallery-3debc3d7187d.jpg) 『秋日和』（1960年） — Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/ff/Late-Autumn-1.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled) ## Awards ### Other awards — 1 won - Medal with Purple Ribbon 1976: Medal with Purple Ribbon (won) *From Wikidata, which records wins more completely than nominations.* --- © 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/nobuo-nakamura