The world of cinema lost an icon today, as actor Haruo Nakajima – best known for being the man inside the suit of Godzilla – passed away at the age of 88 years old.
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Nakajima played Godzilla in the original Toho Godzilla movie of 1954; he would follow up that performance with 11 more appearances as the Kaiju monster and some of his enemies (such as Gojira), before retiring from the role in 1972. For the full scope of his role in the Godzilla franchise, check out his list of screen credits, below:
- Godzilla Raids Again
- King Kong vs. Godzilla
- Mothra vs. Godzilla
- Ghidorah: the Three-Headed Monster
- Invasion of the Astro-Monster
- Godzilla vs. the Sea Monster
- Son of Godzilla
- Destroy All Monsters
- All Monsters Attack
- Godzilla vs. Hedorah
- Godzilla vs. Gigan
In addition to the Godzilla franchise, Nakajima also did creature performances in other films like King Kong Escapes (as Kong), as well as playing both human and Kaiju roles in the 1960s Ultraman TV series, and a bit role as a bandit in Akira Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai.
As one of the pioneers of Kaiju cinema and its worldwide crossover appeal with modern film fans, Hauro Nakajima is an icon who will be sorely missed.
R.I.P. Haruo Nakajima: Jaunary 1, 1929 – August 7, 2017
