With Kaiju films getting a jolt from movies like Pacific Rim, it's easy to forget that things weren't as glamorous back in 1954 when the original Godzilla movie made its debut, and its star, Haruo Nakajima donned the now infamous, if not mildly goofy-looking, monster suit. Sadly, at the age of 88, Mr. Nakajima has passed away, leaving behind a legacy that is untouchable by anything modern Hollywood could possibly conjure up.
Mr. Nakajima made a career out of monster movies, reprising his role as Godzilla across a number of films including Godzilla Raids Again, King Kong vs. Godzilla, and Mothra vs. Godzilla. He also appeared in Ghidorah: the Three-Headed Monster, Invasion of the Astro-Monster, and Mothra.
Nakajima's first official film appearance came in Hiroshi Inagaki's Sword For Hire (1952), which was co-written by the legendary director, Akira Kurosawa. He eventually retired from suit acting in 1972 following his final film, Godzilla vs. Gigan.
Haruo Nakajima may not be a household name here in the West in 2017, but his influence will be forever felt in any and every monster movie that comes out from now on.
Source: [CBR]
