Jin Nakayama

Description
Jin Nakayama was a Japanese actor and voice actor, born Jinpei Nakayama on September 25, 1942, in Beijing, China. He passed away on October 12, 2019. While he was primarily known for his extensive work in film and television, he also contributed his voice to anime projects.

Nakayama's career in entertainment began in 1965 after he left Waseda University and joined the theater company Gekidan NLT. He made his debut under the stage name Hitoshi Kajiwara before adopting the name Jin Nakayama. His early career was marked by significant film roles, including a lead part in the 1967 film Utage, for which he won the Elan d'Or Award for Best New Actor from the Association of Japanese Film Producers. He was also a member of the avant-garde theater troupe Roman Gekidan, founded by the renowned author Yukio Mishima, from its establishment in 1968 until its dissolution in 1972.

In the 1970s, Nakayama became a familiar face on Japanese television, starring in popular dramas such as the sports series Sign wa V and the tokusatsu series Ultraman 80, where he played the role of Captain Kazuki Oyama. Throughout his decades-long career, he appeared in numerous films, television dramas, and stage productions, establishing himself as a versatile character actor.

In the realm of anime, Nakayama is specifically recognized for his portrayal of the historical figure Cao Cao. He voiced this character in two anime adaptations based on the classic Chinese novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms: the 1985 film Sangokushi and its 1986 sequel, Sangokushi II: Amakakeru Otokotachi. These roles represent his most notable and documented work in voice acting for animation.

Nakayama was married to actress Fumi Terada, and two of his daughters, Rei Nakayama and ari, also pursued careers as an actress and a musician, respectively. His talent agency remembered him as a quiet and gentlemanly person with a strong on-screen presence. Jin Nakayama passed away from lung cancer at his home in Tokyo in 2019.
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