To English-speaking audiences , he is known for playing characters such as General Tadamichi Kuribayashi in Letters from Iwo Jima . He first became internationally famous for playing Lord Katsumoto Moritsu in the 2003 film The Last Samurai , and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for this role . To English-speaking audiences he is known for playing tragic hero characters , such as General Tadamichi Kuribayashi in Letters from Iwo Jima and Lord Katsumoto Moritsu in The Last Samurai , for which he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor .