Akira Takarada

Akira Takarada Born April 29, 1934 Chongjin, Korea Notable role(s) Hideo Ogata, Takeshi Iijima, Ichirō Sakai, K. Fuji, Yoshimura, Jirō Nomura, Jōji Minamino, Natarō Daigo First work Godzilla (1954) Notable work Ebirah, Horror of the Deep (1966)

Akira Takarada (宝田明,   Takarada Akira) is a Japanese actor who played Hideo Ogata in Gojira and has played multiple characters in the Godzilla series.

Biography

Born on April 29, 1934, in Harbin, China, Akira Takarada rose from the Tôhô New Face program to become one of the most recognizable men associated with the Godzilla series, even though he appeared in only six installments. He began in 1949 with a small role in "When the Liberty Bell Rang" and after several small roles, his big break came as navy diver Hideo Ogata in the original Godzilla. He soon became recognizable for his persona as the cocky, slightly cynical urban male and that made him a very successful actor. Today he is still a celebrity in Japan through his appearances in TV dramas, quiz shows, and commercials.

Kaiju Filmography

• Godzilla (1954) as Hideo Ogata
• Half Human (1955) as Takeshi Iijima
• The Birth of Japan (1959) as Prince Wakatarashi
• Mothra vs. Godzilla (1964) as Ichiro Sakai
• Invasion of Astro-Monster (1965) as Astronaut Kazuo Fuji
• Ebirah, Horror of the Deep (1966) as Yoshimura
• King Kong Escapes (1967) as Lt. Commander Jiro Nomura
• Latitude Zero (1969) as Dr. Ken Tashiro
• Godzilla vs. Mothra (1992) as Environmental Planning Board Chief Jyoji Minamino
• Godzilla vs. Destoroyah (1995) as Hideo Ogata [stock footage from Godzilla]
• Godzilla: Final Wars (2004) as UN Secretary-General Naotarô Daigo
• Godzilla (2014) as Japanese Immigration Agent [deleted scene]

Gallery

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  Akira Takarada and Gareth Edwards

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Videos

Dallas Comic Con panel (2014) Anime Boston panel with Haruo Nakajima (2015) G-FEST XIX panel with Bin Furuya (2016)

External Links

• Toho Kingdom interview (October 2013)