Actor
Kaoru Kobayashi
Born 4 September 1951 · Kyōto, Kyōto Prefecture, Japan
Kaoru Kobayashi (born 1951 in Kyoto) is a Japanese actor with a long career across film, television and stage. He is widely recognised as the quiet owner of the Midnight Diner stories and as a voice actor in Studio Ghibli films, including Princess Mononoke.
Key films
The Funeral (1984)
Early screen credit in Juzo Itami's acclaimed debut comedy-drama about a family holding a funeral.
Princess Mononoke (1997)
Voice role in Hayao Miyazaki's epic, which introduced his work to a wide international audience.
The Great Passage (2013)
Supporting role in the well-regarded drama about a team compiling a Japanese dictionary.
Midnight Diner (2014)
Film version of the beloved story of a late-night eatery, built around his central role as its owner.
The Boy and the Heron (2023)
Voice role in Miyazaki's late-career Ghibli feature, extending his long link with the studio.
Key awards
No major awards are documented here.
On Cinespective
Full filmography · 84
- 1976The Sea of GenkaiActor
- 1977Ballad of Orin · as TorazoActor
- 1979Eighteen Years, to the Sea · as Eisuke MorimotoActor
- 1981Call from Darkness · as Tatsuo TamuraActor
- 1981Hear the Wind Sing · as MeActor
- 1982The Dropout · as MiuraActor
- 1983The Second Love · as Hideo HyugaActor
- 1984The Funeral · as InoseActor
- 1984The Wangan Highway · as NakamuraActor
- 1984Gubijinsô: Maboroshi no ai ni hateta murasaki no onna!Actor
- 1985And Then · as Tsunejiro HiraokaActor
- 1985Love Letter · as Tetsushi KamiyaActor
- 1985Paradise View · as Reishu GoyaActor
- 1986For Business · as Miyabi SakuramiyaActor
- 1987Twilight of the Cockroaches · as Saitô (voice)Actor
- 1988Love and Action in OsakaActor
- 1988Bakayaro! I'm Plenty Mad · as Shigeru Kosaka (Episode 4)Actor
- 1989Untamagiru · as GiruActor
- 1990Hong Kong Paradise · as Hachirou OoishiActor
- 1991Shimanto RiverActor
- 1993The Last U-Boat · as Tatsumi - FregattenkapitänActor
- 1993ChibusaActor
- 1993The Tomb & the Divorce · as Yoshinori IshinoActor
- 1994Uneasy EncountersActor
- 1996The Way of Osaka Financing 1Actor
- 1997Princess Mononoke · as Jikobo (voice)Actor
- 1999Secret · as Heisuke SugitaActor
- 1999The Black HouseActor
- 1999Coquille · as Tatsuya UrayamaActor
- 1999The Washing Machine · as Taiji OgamiActor
- 1999Le Secret · as 杉田平介Actor
- 2002Ghiblies: Episode 2 · as Toshi-chan (Voice)Actor
- 2002Ten Dark WomenActor
- 2003Like Asura · as Takao SatomiActor
- 2004Quill: The Life of a Guide Dog · as Mitsuru WatanabeActor
- 2005Female · as Old manActor
- 2005A Melody for My FatherActor
- 2006Tales from Earthsea · as The King (voice)Actor
- 2006The Blossoming of Etsuko Kamiya · as Yasutada KamiyaActor
- 2007Tokyo Towers: Mom and Me, and Sometimes Dad · as OtonActor
- 2008Vacation · as Toru HiraiActor
- 2008Then Summer CameActor
- 2008Double TroubleActor
- 2009Kamui · as HanbeiActor
- 2010Boys on the Run · as Suzuki sanActor
- 2010Haru's Journey · as KinoshitaActor
- 2010Sketches of Kaitan City · as Ryuzo HigaActor
- 2010A Crowd of ThreeActor
- 2010AbraxasActor
- 2011The Egoists · as Kazuyuki NinomiyaActor
- 2013The Great Passage · as Kohei ArakiActor
- 2013The End of Summer · as Shingo KosugiActor
- 2013Leaving on the 15th Spring · as Toshiharu NakazatoActor
- 2013Kyokuhoku Rhapsody · as Masashi SeraActor
- 2014Midnight Diner · as MasterActor
- 2014Climbing to Spring · as Isao NagamineActor
- 2016Midnight Diner 2 · as MasterActor
- 2016Fueled: The Man They Called "Pirate" · as Jisaku KokaActor
- 2016Natsumi's Firefly · as SakakiyamaActor
- 2016Botchan · as Madonna’s fatherActor
- 2017The Miracles of the Namiya General Store · as Takeo MatsuokaActor
- 2017Lear on the ShoreActor
- 2017Kiseki: Sobito of That Day · as Seiichi MoritaActor
- 2017Mukoku · as Shozo YatabeActor
- 2017An Emblem Dedicated To You · as Nakagawa AkikoActor
- 2018The Miracle of Crybaby Shottan · as Mamoru FujitaActor
- 2019The Island of Cats · as IwaoActor
- 2019His Lost Name · as TetsuroActor
- 2020Independence of JapanActor
- 2021We Made a Beautiful Bouquet · as Hirotaro YamaneActor
- 2021Arc · as RihitoActor
- 2022Yes, I Can't Swim · as Professor KamoshitaActor
- 2022Dr. Coto's Clinic · as Shoichi HoshinoActor
- 2022Winter Rose · as Giichi WataguchiActor
- 2023The Boy and the Heron · as Noble Pelican (voice)Actor
- 2023Kubi · as Tokugawa IeyasuActor
- 2023Baian the Assassin, M.D.: Part 2Actor
- 2023Tsugaru Lacquer GirlActor
- 2023Trapped Balloon · as Shigezo KojimaActor
- 2024The Yin Yang Master Zero · as Fujiwara YosukeActor
- 2024Promised LandActor
- 2025ShamActor
- 2025The Last Blossom · as Akutsu (1986) (voice)Actor
- 2025Oboe no Nai SatsujinActor
Filmography data from TMDB. The profile text is a draft written for Cinespective.