[1][2] In his 30 years spanning career, he appeared in numerous stage productions and films by directors such as Shirō Toyoda, Tadashi Imai, Heinosuke Gosho, Akira Kurosawa and Nagisa Ōshima.

[1] A graduate in French literature from Keio University, he formed the theatre group "Mugi no kai" in 1947 together with Teruko Nagaoka and Michio Kato, before all three joined the Bungakuza theatre group in 1949.

[4] In 1963, Akutagawa left Bungakuza and co-founded the "Kumo" theatre group together with Kyōko Kishida, Tsuneari Fukuda and others.

[1][3] His last appearance was in the 1979 stage production of Kyōka Izumi's play Yasha-ga-ike.

[3] Film historian Donald Richie compared Akutagawa's acting style, which he saw as "based on acute understatement", with Montgomery Clift and Gérard Philipe.