Kenji Sahara facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Kenji Sahara
Sahara on the set of King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962)
Born	Masayoshi Kato (1932-05-14) 14 May 1932 (age 93) Kawasaki City, Kanagawa, Japan
Other names	Tadashi Ishihara, Jun Manjōme
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1953–present

Kenji Sahara (born on May 14, 1932) is a famous Japanese actor. He was born in Kawasaki City, Kanagawa, Japan. His real name is Masayoshi Kato. He first used the name Tadashi Ishihara for his acting roles. Later, he changed it to Kenji Sahara when he got the main role in the movie Rodan in 1956.

Kenji Sahara's Acting Career

Kenji Sahara is well-known for his many roles in Japanese movies and TV shows. He worked a lot with the Toho Company, which is famous for making the Godzilla films.

Roles in Godzilla Movies

Kenji Sahara has appeared in more Godzilla movies than any other actor! He was often chosen for roles by famous directors like Ishiro Honda and Eiji Tsuburaya. These directors made many of the classic monster films.

Sahara is especially famous for being a key actor in Toho's special-effects movies. These are films with amazing monsters and action. He also starred in the popular Ultraman series.

Here are some of the famous movies he was in:

• Godzilla (1954) – as a Young Lover
• Rodan (1956) – as Shigeru Kawamura
• The Mysterians (1957) – as Joji Atsumi
• The H-Man (1958) – as Dr. Masada
• Mothra (1961) – as a Helicopter Pilot
• King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962) – as Kazuo Fujita
• Matango (1963) – as Senzō Koyama
• Atragon (1963) – as Umino, a Journalist
• Mothra vs. Godzilla (1964) – as Jiro Torahata
• Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster (1964)
• Frankenstein Conquers the World (1965) – as a Soldier
• War of the Gargantuas (1966) – as Dr. Yuzo Majida
• Son of Godzilla (1967) – as Morio
• Destroy All Monsters (1968) – as Nishikawa, Moon Base Commander
• All Monsters Attack (1969) – as Kenichi Mitsuki
• Space Amoeba (1970) – as Makoto Obata
• Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla (1974) – as a Ship Captain
• Terror of Mechagodzilla (1975) – as General Segawa
• Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah (1991) – as Minister Takayuki Segawa
• Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II (1993) – as Minister Takayuki Segawa
• Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla (1994) – as Minister Takayuki Segawa
• Godzilla: Final Wars (2004) – as Hachiro Jinguji

Roles in Ultraman Series

Kenji Sahara was also the main actor in the first Ultra series, called Ultra Q. He appeared in many other Ultra series too.

Here are some of his roles in the Ultraman shows:

• Ultra Q (1966) – as Jun Manjoume
• Ultra Seven (1967–1968) – as Takenaka Jinguji
• Return of Ultraman (1971–1972) – as Takenaka Jinguji
• Ultraman 80 (1980–1981) – as Dr. Jono
• Ultraman Nexus (2004–2005) – as Togo
• Ultraman Mebius (2006–2007) – as Takenaka Jinguji

His most recent Ultraman appearance was in the 2008 movie, Superior Ultraman 8 Brothers. He also did a voice cameo in two episodes of the TV show Sonic X.