was a Japanese actor and stuntman. A pioneer of suit acting, he is best known for playing Godzilla in 12 consecutive films, starting from the original Godzilla (1954) until Godzilla vs. Gigan (1972). Nakajima also played various other kaiju in Toho's tokusatsu films, including: Rodan (1956), Mothra (1961) and The War of the Gargantuas (1966) and also appeared in a minor roles in Akira Kurosawa's Seven Samurai (1954), Yojimbo, and Stray Dog (his film debut).
Career
Nakajima was born in the city of Sakata in Yamagata Prefecture, Japan, on January 1, 1929.
His first credited role in a motion picture was in the 1952 film Sword for Hire. He began his career as a stunt actor in samurai films and he acted in a small role in the 1954 film Seven Samurai, portraying a bandit slain by master swordsman Kyūzo (Seiji Miyaguchi).
He was considered by many to be the best suit actor in the long history of the Godzilla franchise. At the time, Toho's special effects director, Eiji Tsuburaya considered him completely invaluable, and he was employed to essay the roles of most of the kaiju (Japanese monsters) during his career as a suit actor.
Before shooting began for the first Godzilla 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.
After 24 years, Nakajima retired from suit acting upon completion of Godzilla 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.
Beginning in the late 1990s, Nakajima made a series of personal appearances at various Japanese monster-themed conventions. He appeared at the Monsterpalooza convention in Burbank, California in April 2011. 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.
Death On August 7, 2017, several media outlets reported that Nakajima had died, at the age of 88. The following day, on August 8, his daughter Sonoe Nakajima confirmed that he had died of pneumonia. In 2018, asteroid 110408 Nakajima was named in his honour. The film Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019) was dedicated to his memory.
Filmography Film Year TitleRole(s) NotesRef(s)1949Stray DogBar patronDeleted scene 1952 Sword for Hire First credited role in a film 1953 Eagle of the PacificFighter pilot on fire 1954 Seven SamuraiBandit 1954 GodzillaGodzilla 1954 The Invisible Avenger 1955 Godzilla Raids AgainGodzilla 1956 RodanRodan 1957 The MysteriansMoguera 1958 The H-ManSailor 1958 Varan the UnbelievableVaran 1958 The Hidden Fortress1959Gigantis, the Fire MonsterGigantis/Godzilla 1960 The Human Vapor 1961 The Story of Osaka Castle 1961 Yojimbo 1961 MothraMothra (larva) 1962 King Kong vs. GodzillaGodzilla 1963 Matango 1963 Atragon 1964 Mothra vs. GodzillaGodzilla 1964 Dogora 1964 Ghidorah, the Three-Headed MonsterGodzilla 1965 Frankenstein vs. BaragonBaragon 1965 Invasion of Astro-MonsterGodzilla 1966 The War of the GargantuasGaira 1966 Ebirah, Horror of the DeepGodzilla 1967 King Kong EscapesKing Kong 1967 Son of GodzillaGodzilla 1968 Destroy All MonstersGodzilla, Baragon 1969 Latitude Zero 1969 All Monsters AttackGodzilla 1970 Space AmoebaGezora, Ganimes 1971 Godzilla vs. HedorahGodzilla 1972 Godzilla vs. GiganGodzilla 1973 Tidal WaveChauffeur
Television Year Title NotesRef(s) 1966 Ultra Q Acting role, Gomess, Pagos 1966–1967 Ultraman Neronga, Gabora, Jirahs, Kemur II, Keylla. 1967–1968 Ultraseven Acting role, U-Tom.1970Chibira-kunGebagoro
References
External links
Roberto, John Rocco. Shigeko Kojima (trans.) Winter 1999. "An Interview with Godzilla: Hauro Nakajima", Originally published in Kaiju Fan. Biography of Haruo Nakajima in comic book format