Haruo Nakajima | |
|---|---|
中島 春雄 | |
.jpg) Nakajima in 2013 | |
| Born | (1929-01-01)January 1, 1929 |
| Died | August 7, 2017(2017-08-07) (aged 88) Tokyo, Japan |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1949–1973 |
| Known for | PortrayingGodzilla |
| Children | Sonoe |
| Signature | |
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Haruo Nakajima (Japanese:中島 春雄,Hepburn:Nakajima Haruo, January 1, 1929 – August 7, 2017)[2] was a Japanese actor and stuntman. A pioneer ofsuit acting, he is best known for playingGodzilla in 12 consecutive films, starting from the originalGodzilla (1954) untilGodzilla vs. Gigan (1972). Nakajima also played various otherkaiju inToho'stokusatsu films, including:Rodan (1956),Mothra (1961) andThe War of the Gargantuas (1966) and also appeared in a minor role inAkira Kurosawa'sSeven Samurai (1954).
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Nakajima was born in the city ofSakata inYamagata Prefecture, Japan, on January 1, 1929.[3]
His first credited role in a motion picture was in the 1952 filmSword for Hire.[2] He began his career as astunt actor insamurai films and he acted in a small role in the 1954 filmSeven Samurai, portraying a bandit slain by master swordsman Kyūzo (Seiji Miyaguchi).[2][4][5]
He was considered by many to be the bestsuit actor in the long history of theGodzilla franchise.[1] At the time,Toho's special effects director,Eiji Tsuburaya considered him completely invaluable,[1] and he was employed to essay the roles of most of thekaiju (Japanese monsters) during his career as a suit actor.
Before shooting began for the firstGodzilla movie, in 1954, Nakajima said he spent a week at Tokyo's Ueno Zoo, where he studied the motion of elephants and bears. He said he threw a piece of bread at the bears to see how they moved to catch it. He also studied the heavy, ponderous gait of the elephants. "When elephants walk, they never show the bottom of their feet," he said. When filming began, he said the original suit weighed 100 kilograms and required two men to help him put it on. "How can I act in this thing?" Nakajima said he asked himself. He eventually mastered the suit, and went on to teach the other suit actors who came after him.[6]
After 24 years, Nakajima retired from suit acting upon completion ofGodzilla vs. Gigan (1972), when the studio cycled him out of their contract actor system, after it split into several subsidiaries in 1970. He stayed employed by Toho for several years, and was reportedly transferred to a job at its bowling alley, located on the now defunct studio lot.[7][8][9]
Beginning in the late 1990s, Nakajima made a series of personal appearances at various Japanese monster-themed conventions. He appeared at theMonsterpalooza convention inBurbank,California in April 2011.[10] His Japanese-language autobiography,『怪獣人生 元祖ゴジラ俳優・中島春雄』 (Monster Life: Haruo Nakajima, the Original Godzilla Actor), was released in 2010.[11][12]
On August 7, 2017, several media outlets reported that Nakajima had died, at the age of 88.[12][13][14] The following day, on August 8, his daughter Sonoe Nakajima confirmed that he had died of apneumonia.[4] In 2018, asteroid110408 Nakajima was named in his honour. The filmGodzilla: King of the Monsters (2019) was dedicated to his memory.
| Year | Title | Notes | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1966 | Ultra Q | Acting role, Gomess, Pagos | [17] |
| 1966–1967 | Ultraman | Neronga,Gabora,Jirahs, Kemur II, Keylla. | [18] |
| 1967–1968 | Ultraseven | Acting role, U-Tom. | [17] |
| 1970 | Chibira-kun | Gebagoro | [citation needed] |
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| National | |
| Academics | |
