Nakata was born in
Okayama,
Japan. He is most familiar to Western audiences for his work on
Japanese horror films such as
Ring (1998),
Ring 2 (1999) and
Dark Water (2002). Several of these were remade in English as
The Ring (2002),
Dark Water (2005), and
The Ring Two. Nakata was scheduled to make his English-language debut with
True Believers, but later pulled out. He was later offered by
DreamWorks to direct the movie
The Ring Two (2005), which he accepted, making his English-language debut with a
sequel to a
remake of his own film. Nakata made his initial breakthrough into film with
Ghost Actress a.k.a. ''Don't Look Up
(1996). Although failing to attain any large-scale success, the film was responsible for leading to his directing of Ring''. Other Nakata films include
Sleeping Bride (2000);
Curse, Death & Spirit; and
Chaos (2000). He directed the psychological thriller
The Incite Mill which premiered on 16 October 2010 in Japan. He has now completed a Japanese ghost story,
Kaidan. Nakata is currently working on Hearn, which is about the life of
Lafcadio Hearn who wrote
Kwaidan. He is represented by
United Talent Agency. His film
Chatroom, was screened in the
Un Certain Regard section at the
2010 Cannes Film Festival. ==Filmography==