Haruo Nakajima, the actor that played Godzilla in the original Film, died on Monday at the age of 88, according to Toho production company representatives who were cited by the BBC. Haruo Nakajima died of pneumonia, according to the same source
Famous, but unknown
Haruo Nakajima was a famous actor, but you never saw his face. The Japanese actor performed the part of the famous monster in the first Godzilla movie from 1954. He played Godzilla wearing a special costume. Since then, the actor wore the costume of the famous monster in 12 films.
For this role, Nakajima was considered the best actor acting inside a suit.
Haruo Nakajima also played other monsters
In 1954 he played the role of Godzilla— a giant creature waking up in the depths of the ocean after a nuclear test — for the first time in the original movie. The movie produced by Toho cinema studio was directed by Ishiro Honda. Since then, he played the same character in several sequels of the original film. Nakajima also played other beasts on the big screen, like Rodan, Mothra and King Kong.
His most recent appearance in a special costume was in 1972 in the movie "Godzilla vs. Gigan." The latest movie in this series "Shin Godzilla" was released in 2016.
Godzilla — a difficult character
In an interview published this year, Haruo Nakajima revealed the difficulties he faced during the film shootings from 1955.
Apparently, his costume was made of bamboo and latex and weighed about 100 kilograms.
The Japanese movie star said that he had to study the behavior of animals in the Zoo in Tokyo to prepare for his role.
Godzilla has become a classic movie with monsters. Cinema studios from Japan and Hollywood have produced dozens of films with the frightening character.
Most of the recent films from the famous films used computerized graphics and animation programs to create the marine monster.
Successful career
Haruo Nakajima began his career by acting in several samurai films and war films. The actor also acted in the feature film "Seven Samurai" directed by Akira Kurosawa.
In a short video posted on YouTube last year, Nakajima, aged 87 at the time, told fans how he had come to play the character who made him famous.
Other actors who played in disguise
In June 2016 Mihaly Meszaros died. Nobody has heard of him, unlike Alf, the famous character he played. Alf (Alien Life Form) was a strange alien wandering on Earth. The TV series enjoyed a great success for four seasons. Both children and adults watched the show with the same pleasure. It is a less known fact that the character was not an animation, as some people believed. Alf was played by the actor Mihaly Meszaros, one of the smallest people in the world, who was only 83 inches tall.
Kenny Baker, the actor who played the famous R2-D2 robot in Star Wars died last year.
