Keiji Sada (佐田 啓二, Sada Keiji, December 9, 1926 – August 17, 1964) is the
stage name for a Japanese cinema
actor active from the late-1940s to the early 1960s. His real name was Kanichi Nakai.[1] He won the award for best actor at the 7th
Blue Ribbon Awards for Anata Kaimasu (I Will Buy You) and Taifū Sōdōki.[2] He was the father of the actor
Kiichi Nakai and actress
Kie Nakai.[1]
Biography
Sada was born in
Shimogyō-ku,
Kyoto, to a merchant class family. After graduating from the 2nd Kyoto Municipal Commercial School, he entered the School of Political Science and Economics at
Waseda University in
Tokyo.[1] While a student, he roomed at a boarding house owned by the actor Shuji Sano, and on graduation was offered a position at
Shochiku Studios in
Kanagawa. He also was given his stage name by Shugi Sada.
In his debut appearance in 1947, Phoenix, directed by
Keisuke Kinoshita, Sada was paired with
Kinuyo Tanaka in a love scene.[1] As Tanaka was already a big-name movie star, this was an immediate boost for Sada's career. Later that year, he was selected for the lead role in Kane no Naru Oka (鐘の鳴る丘), a movie adaptation of a popular
NHKradio drama.
Sada was killed[1] on August 17, 1964, while returning with his family from their summer cottage in the Tateshina Mountains of
Nagano Prefecture when their chauffeur collided with a taxi on a bridge in
Nirasaki, Yamanashi.[3] (His wife and two children were unhurt.) His memorial services were held in
Aoyama Cemetery in Tokyo with thousands of fans attending; however, his grave is at the temple of
Engaku-ji in
Kamakura.
Selected filmography
Fushichō (1947) - Shinichi Yasaka
Akai kuchibiru imada kiezu (1947)
Shozo (1948)
Hi no bara (1948)
Kane no naru oka - Dai ippen: Ryūta no maki (1948) - Shūhei Kagami
Kane no naru oka - Dai nihen: Shukichi no maki (1949)