Biography

Kazuya Nakayama is perhaps one of the most versatile actors of his time in Japanese Yakuza films. Born on January 20, 1956, in Taiki-Cho, Hiroh-Gun, Hokkaido, he grew up in Kushiro City.

His father was a skilled bakery craftsman and was selected as a representative when the former Emperor and Empress visited Kushiro City. Kazuya's father welcomed them with the utmost care by showing the process of baking bread.

However, when Kazuya was in 6th grade, his father got into financial trouble. His father's friend's business went down, and his father was a guarantor of his friend's loan. Kazuya's family didn't have money, so they ran away at night.

The family lived in destitute in Kushiro, and Kazuya came close to taking his own life. In his book, "Shiro (A Harakiri actor revives again and again)", he said, "My parents were always arguing over money. The daily arguments at home made me want to kill myself. I felt that my existence was hopelessly insignificant."

"One day, I went to a muddy river, crying, thinking there was nothing I could do. I kept crying aloud, wiping tears with my hands, while staring at the muddy river."

"Then, I noticed at the riverbank; two people were doing something - a man and a woman having sex. It was the first time I saw anything like that, and I thought to myself, 'What the hell is that? ...Can I do that when I become an adult? I should live a bit longer.' And that's how I became a delinquent human being."

Kazuya was able to turn around a situation that seemed hopeless through a moment of self-reflection. One can argue that the Japanese Chaplin was reborn beside that muddy river.

At the age of 20, Kazuya moved to Tokyo and joined the "Bungakuza" - the Japanese theatre company. At 26, he started his own company called the Nakayama Pro.

His first leading role was as a rapist in the film "Renzoku Satsujinki; Reiketsu." The film is based on the true story of a serial killer who raped and murdered 23 victims, which was unheard of at the time.

Kazuya had a very eccentric personality with a strong presence and was able to appeal to the Japanese audience with his gangster roles.

He also wrote books, and in his second book "Shiro," he stated, "back in the day, the internet was not yet common, so to find sponsors for my films, I reached out to Japan Business Federation and others through numerous phone calls and letters."

"I quote what the worlds best salesperson said. The reason I became the best in the world is that I was rejected the most in the world."

In 2004, the film "IZO (A Takashi Miike production)" brought Kazuya huge success and recognition due to his brilliant acting in his role as Izo Okada. The film had an unparalleled mega-star cast, including the world-renowned Takeshi Kitano. It was nominated for the Venice Film Festival in 2004.

In IZO, the protagonist, Izo Okada, travels through dimensions and time to fight against unjust society, eventually be known as a terrorist threat to the public.

The director claims that Kazuya was destined to be in this film ever since he was born. Some call Kazuya a "humanitarian terrorist." His acting reminds audiences of Robert De Niro as Travis in "Taxi Driver," and of Hawkins Phoenix as Arthur Flex in "Joker." Kazuya resembles these well-known actors to the minds of many.

The motto he firmly holds onto is: "I will eventually win an Academy Award. I will win with my willpower. Until then, I won't ever stop being myself."
- IMDb mini biography by: Mikako Takatsu