Henry G. Saperstein

Henry G. Saperstein Born June 2, 1918 Chicago, Illinois, United States Died June 24, 1998 Occupation Producer, distributor First work Mister Magoo (TV 1960-1961) Notable work Invasion of Astro-Monster (1965)

Henry Gahagen "Hank" Saperstein was an American film producer and distributor. As a young man, Saperstein inherited his father's cinema chain in Chicago before moving on to television distribution. He moved to Hollywood in 1955, and purchased United Productions of America in 1960. At UPA, Saperstein produced the successful Mister Magoo television series and its spinoff television specials and series. Saperstein formed a relationship with Japanese studio Toho in the 1960s, co-producing three of its kaiju movies in 1965 and 1966 and arranging for American actors Nick Adams and Russ Tamblyn to appear in the films. Saperstein would subsequently work with Toho in the 1970s and 1980s and attempt to put together several Godzilla projects which never materialized. Saperstein was part of the negotiations with Hollywood studios in the early 1990s that attempted to get a Hollywood Godzilla film made. He passed away from cancer in Beverly Hills on June 24, 1998, at the age of 80.

Selected filmography

• Frankenstein vs. Baragon (1965) - Producer [with Tomoyuki Tanaka, Reuben Bercovitch, and Samuel Arkoff]
• Invasion of Astro-Monster (1965) - Producer [with Tomoyuki Tanaka and Reuben Bercovitch]
• The War of the Gargantuas (1966) - Producer [with Tomoyuki Tanaka, Reuben Bercovitch, and Kenichiro Tsunoda]
• U.S.-Japan Collaboration: Godzilla (1978) - Producer [unproduced]
• Animated Godzilla film (1988) - Producer [unproduced]