Akira Takarada

From Wikizilla, the kaiju encyclopedia
Jump to navigationJump to search
Akira Takarada
Akira Takarada with Godzilla at the Japanese premiere of Godzilla (2014)
Born April 29, 1934
Chongjin, Korea
Died March 14, 2022
Tokyo, Japan
Occupation Actor
Notable role(s) Hideto Ogata, Takeshi Iijima,
Ichiro Sakai, Kazuo Fuji,
Yoshimura, Jiro Nomura,
Joji Minamino, Naotaro Daigo
First work Thus the Liberty Bell Tolls (1954)
Notable work Godzilla (1954),
Ebirah, Horror of the Deep (1966)
Imdb.pngWp.png
Being a newcomer, I formally introduced myself on the set: 'My name is Akira Takarada. I'll be playing the lead. Pleased to meet you all,' in a very loud voice. The head lighting technician at the studio said, 'Idiot! You're not the lead. The lead actor is Godzilla.' I said, 'Yes, of course.' He'd put me in my place.
„ 

— Akira Takarada, recalling the filming of Godzilla (1954)[1]

Akira Takarada (宝田 明,   Takarada Akira) was a Japanese actor best-known among kaiju fans for playing Hideto Ogata in the original Godzilla and assorted roles in many subsequent entries in the franchise and other science-fiction films produced by Toho. He was one of three actors to appear in Godzilla films from the Showa, Heisei, and Millennium series, along with Kenji Sahara and Hiroshi Koizumi. He was also the first actor from the Toho Godzilla series to be cast in an American Godzilla film, portraying a Japanese immigration official in one of the first scenes shot for Legendary Pictures' Godzilla, although his scene was ultimately cut from the film. In the later years of his life, he became a frequent guest at American science-fiction conventions, and filmed a cameo for the 2014 fan film Godzilla Battle Royale during one such appearance.[2]

Selected filmography

Interviewee

Gallery

Videos

Takarada introduces Godzilla (1954) at the Pickwick Theater during G-Fest XVII in 2010
Takarada publicly requesting a role in Godzilla (2014) at G-Fest XVII in 2010
Dallas Comic Con panel (2014)
Anime Boston panel with Haruo Nakajima (2015)
G-FEST XIX panel with Bin Furuya (2016)

External links

References

This is a list of references for Akira Takarada. These citations are used to identify the reliable sources on which this article is based. These references appear inside articles in the form of superscript numbers, which look like this: [1]

  1. Interview included on The Criterion Collection's Godzilla (1954) Blu-ray and DVD releases.
  2. rockstarbd82 (3 November 2014). "GODZILLA BATTLE ROYALE!!! (NEW 2014 FULL GODZILLA FAN FILM)". YouTube.

Comments

Showing 20 comments. When commenting, please remain respectful of other users, stay on topic, and avoid role-playing and excessive punctuation. Comments which violate these guidelines may be removed by administrators.

<comments voting="Plus" />

Real World