Original Godzilla actor passes away at the age of 88, leaving behind amazing legacy

Aug 09 (rocketnews24.com) - Haruo Nakajima portrayed the King of the Monsters for 18 years.

Considering that we never see the actor inside the Godzilla suit, one might assume that creature is played by whichever stuntman happens to be free when it's time to shoot a scene. But such random work assignments won't do when portraying the most famous of all kaiju, and for the first dozen films in which the King of the Monsters appeared, it was always actor Haruo Nakajima portraying His Royal Highness.

Following a severe case of pneumonia, Nakajima passed away this Monday at the age of 88, bringing to an end an incredible life full of contributions to cinematic history. The third son in a family of five children, Nakajima knew he wouldn't be able to take over his father's butcher shop, and after a brief stint as a truck driver for the occupying Allied Forces in 1947, he enrolled in an acting program at the age of 18 in 1947.

Nakajima earned a bit part in Akira Kurosawa's masterpiece The Seven Samurai, but his big break came in 1954, when he was tapped to wear the 100-kilogram (220-pound) suit of the titular Godzilla in the 1954 film from distributor Toho that launched the franchise. The actor would go on to play Godzilla for the next 18 years, culminating in 1972's Godzilla vs. Gigan, his final time to fill the role.

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