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Cinema actor, stage artist, teacher, author, motion capture performer, and at one time creative director for the Tokyo Olympics, Mansai Nomura has had a shockingly diverse career. While best known globally for his role as Abe no Seimei in the two Onmyoji films, and possibly for doing the motion capture performance for Godzilla in Shin Godzilla (2016), Nomura has been very prolific in Japan and is well known across a variety of arts, while coming from a family of well known actors.
Born under the name Takeshi Nomura, he studied the art of Kyogen, a branch of Noh theater specialized in comedic drama, under his father and grand father. At the age of four, Nomura made his acting debut on stage in the play Utsubozaru. At the age of 19, Nomura landed his first film role in Akira Kurosawa's epic film Ran (1985), playing Tsurumaru. In the following years he would focus on his studies, graduating from Tokyo University of the Arts, and Kyogen performances.
In 1990 Nomura explored outside of Kyogen with a stage performance in Hamlet. Four years later, in 1994, he starred in a TV Taiga drama from NHK. Finding success in the latter, he made a few more television appearances before getting back into film, some 16 years after his appearance in Ran. His return to cinema was marked by playing the lead role in the successful 2001 film Onmyoji as Abe no Seimei. Although often praised for his performance on camera, the actor also garnished the respect of other cast members as he acted as a mentor, giving the younger actors advice and often staying long after his shoot was done to encourage others. Nobura would later reprise the role, two years later, in the film's sequel.
Following this Nomura juggled his work with stage performances and his devotion to Kyogen, which saw him author several books on the topic. In 2012 he went back to film with a lead role in The Floating Castle, for which he was nominated for a Japanese Academy Award, his second following a similar nomination for his role as Abe no Seimei on the Onmyoji series. He then went on to do voice work for several productions while starring in more movies and TV shows. In 2018, Nomura was selected as the chief executive creative director of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. Up until late 2020, he oversaw planning for opening and closing ceremonies, but ultimately stepped down as the original ceremony team was disbanded amidst uncertainty and ongoing delays from the COVID-19 pandemic. |
