was a Japanese film actor.
Born in Hiroshima Prefecture, Nakano attended Hà Âsei University, but left before graduating. When he was playing for the Nikkatsu amateur baseball team, he was scouted as an actor and made his debut in 1925 in Daichi wa hohoemu. While becoming one of Japan's main romantic leads, Nakano moved from Nikkatsu to Teikoku Kinema to Shinkà  Kinema to Daiichi Eiga and other studios, and starred in films directed by such masters as Kenji Mizoguchi, Tomu Uchida, Daisuke Ità Â, and Tomotaka Tasaka, among others. In 1941, he formed his own production company, Nakano Eiji Productions, and directed the film Shà Âgun. After World War II, he ceased appearing in movies until the 1970s, when he appeared in films such as Kaneto Shindo's documentary on Kenji Mizoguchi, '.