Kaoru Kobayashi (小林 薫, born September 4, 1951 in Kyoto) is a Japanese actor with a career spanning more than five decades across theatre, television and film. He is best known internationally as the nameless Master in the anthology drama Midnight Diner (Shinya Shokudō), which has run for five TV series and two feature films since 2009 and streams in 190 countries. His awards include Best Actor at the 30th Yokohama Film Festival, Best Supporting Actor at the 8th Yokohama Film Festival for Sorobanzuku, and the Diamond Award (Yodogawa Nagaharu Award) at the 33rd Japan Film Critics Awards in 2024 for Baka Nuri no Musume.
In March 2026, it was announced that Kobayashi would return as the Master in a new, sixth season of the Midnight Diner series, which is to be broadcast on MBS/TBS in autumn 2026 - for the first time in seven years.
In May 2024, Kobayashi received the Diamond Award (Yodogawa Nagaharu Award) at the 33rd Japan Film Critics Awards for his performance in the film Baka Nuri no Musume.
In 2023, Kobayashi appeared in the film Kubi directed by Takeshi Kitano and in the animated film Miyazaki's Boy and Heron (Kimitachi wa dó ikiru ka), where he provided the voice for one of the characters.
😴 Nothing scheduled with this artist in the near future.
73cinemaTue 28.7.Dances with Wolves
87cinemaFri 9.10.Donnie Darko
85cinemaMon 12.10.The Shining
84cinemaTue 29.9.2001: A Space Odyssey
84cinemaMon 12.10.The Shawshank Redemption
81cinemaThu 18.6.Toy Story 5
80cinemaThu 16.7.The Odyssey
78cinemaTue 6.10.Interstellar
78cinemaMon 12.10.Perfect Days
78cinemaThu 15.10.I Swear
77cinemaTue 13.10.Django Unchained
76cinemaSat 10.10.Ferris Bueller's Day Off
Ghibli's animated adaptation of Ursula K. Le Guin's fantasy saga. Young Prince Aren embarks on a journey where he meets an archmage and a mysterious girl, while pursued by the malevolent wizard Cob.
Hayao Miyazaki's masterpiece about a young prince caught between humans and nature spirits in a mythical Japan. A visually stunning epic exploring conflict, compassion, and the cost of hatred.