Haruo Nakajima facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Haruo Nakajima
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| 中島 春雄 | |
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Nakajima in 2013
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| Born | January 1, 1929 Sakata, Yamagata, Empire of Japan
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| Died | August 7, 2017 (aged 88) Tokyo, Japan
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| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1949–1973 |
| Known for | Portraying Godzilla |
| Children | Sonoe Nakajima |
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Haruo Nakajima (Japanese: 中島 春雄, Hepburn: Nakajima Haruo, January 1, 1929 – August 7, 2017) was a Japanese actor. He was most famous for playing Godzilla. He played the giant monster in 12 movies in a row. This started with the first Godzilla movie in 1954. His last Godzilla film was Godzilla vs. Gigan in 1972.
Nakajima also played other huge monsters. These were in kaiju (Japanese monster) films. Some of these roles included Mothra and The War of the Gargantuas. He even had a small part in the famous movie Seven Samurai.
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Playing Godzilla: A Special Job
Haruo Nakajima was born in Yamagata, Japan. He started his career as a stunt actor. This meant he did dangerous scenes in movies. He often worked in samurai films. His first movie role was in Sword for Hire in 1952. He also played a bandit in Seven Samurai.
Many people think he was the best "suit actor" ever. A suit actor is someone who acts inside a monster costume. Toho, the movie studio, thought he was very important. He played most of the kaiju (giant monsters) during his career.
How to Act Like a Monster
Before filming the first Godzilla movie in 1954, Nakajima prepared a lot. He spent a week at a zoo in Tokyo. He watched how elephants and bears moved. He threw bread at bears to see how they reacted. He also studied the slow, heavy walk of elephants. He learned that elephants never show the bottom of their feet when they walk.
When filming started, the first Godzilla suit was very heavy. It weighed 100 kilograms (about 220 pounds). Two people had to help him put it on! Nakajima wondered how he could act in such a heavy suit. But he learned to move well inside it. He later taught other suit actors how to do it too.
Life After Godzilla
After 24 years, Nakajima stopped being a suit actor. His last monster role was in Godzilla vs. Gigan (1972). The movie studio changed how they hired actors. He stayed with Toho for a few more years. He even worked at their bowling alley for a while.
In the late 1990s, Nakajima started going to monster movie events. He met fans and signed autographs. He went to a big convention called Monsterpalooza in California in 2011. He also wrote a book about his life. It was called Monster Life: Haruo Nakajima, the Original Godzilla Actor. It came out in 2010.
His Legacy
Haruo Nakajima passed away on August 7, 2017. He was 88 years old. His daughter said he died from pneumonia.
He left a big mark on movie history. In 2018, an asteroid was named after him: 110408 Nakajima. The movie Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019) was also dedicated to his memory.
Images for kids
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Suit fitting on the set of Godzilla Raids Again (1955). Nakajima (second from left) and Katsumi Tezuka as Anguirus's suit actor on the right. You can see a small model of Osaka Castle in the background.
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See also
In Spanish: Haruo Nakajima para niños
