Actor
Haruo Nakajima
January 1, 1929 · Sakata, Yamagata Prefecture, Japan
Haruo Nakajima (Japanese: 中島 春雄, Hepburn: Nakajima Haruo; January 1, 1929 – August 7, 2017) 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 until Godzilla vs. Gigan. Nakajima also played various other kaiju in Toho's tokusatsu films, including Rodan, Mothra and The War of the Gargantuas and also appeared in minor roles in Akira Kurosawa's Seven Samurai, Yojimbo, and Stray Dog.
Notable work
Often works with
Akihiko Hirata
8 titles together
Godzilla, King Kong vs. Godzilla, Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster
Ikio Sawamura
8 titles together
The Hidden Fortress, King Kong vs. Godzilla, Mothra vs. Godzilla
Kenji Sahara
8 titles together
King Kong vs. Godzilla, Mothra vs. Godzilla, Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster
Yoshibumi Tajima
7 titles together
King Kong vs. Godzilla, Mothra vs. Godzilla, Destroy All Monsters
Takashi Shimura
6 titles together
Seven Samurai, Godzilla, The Hidden Fortress
Yoshio Tsuchiya
6 titles together
Seven Samurai, The Hidden Fortress, Godzilla Raids Again
Full filmography · 80
The Spirit of Godzilla
cast
2004
Godzilla, King of the Monsters
cast
1998
Faces of Horror
as Gezora - Kameba (archive)
1989
Godzilla 1985
as Original Godzilla (archive footage) (uncredited)
19856.8
Bloodthirsty Hawk
as Bloodthirsty Hawk (uncredited)
1977
Godzilla
as Godzilla (uncredited)
19776.8
Submersion of Japan
as Prime Minister's Chauffeur
19737
Godzilla vs. Megalon
as Godzilla (archive footage) (uncredited)
19736.2
Godzilla vs. Gigan
as Godzilla / JSDF Officer / Background Comic Editor
19726.4
Godzilla vs. Hedorah
as Godzilla
19716.8
First-Decade President vs. Second-Decade Staff
cast
1971
It's a Man's Way of Life
cast
1970