Tomoyuki Tanaka

Tomoyuki Tanaka Born April 26, 1910 Osaka, Japan Died April 2, 1997 Occupation Producer First work Duel at Yagyu Valley (1945) Notable work Yojimbo (1961)

“	Godzilla is the son of the atomic bomb. He is a nightmare created out of the darkness of the human soul. He is the sacred beast of the apocalypse.	„
	— Tomoyuki Tanaka speaking about Godzilla, his most famous creation

“	Japan is rich and people can buy whatever they want. But what is behind that wealth? Nothing very spiritual. Everyone's so concerned with the material, and then Godzilla rips it all apart. I suspect that is good for us to see.	„
	— Tomoyuki Tanaka in People Magazine, 1985

Tomoyuki Tanaka (田中 友幸,   Tanaka Tomoyuki) was a Japanese film producer, most famous for creating Godzilla. He was born in Osaka, Japan on April 26, 1910, and died in Tokyo on April 2, 1997.

Not long after graduating from Kansai University in 1940, Tanaka joined Toho Studios. After four years with the company, he began producing his own films. In his 60-year career with Toho, Tanaka produced more than 200 films, including all of the company's kaiju releases from 1954 to 1995. In the 1950's and 1960's, his kaiju and science-fiction films frequently brought together director Ishiro Honda, special effects director Eiji Tsuburaya, and composer Akira Ifukube. He also produced eight of legendary director Akira Kurosawa's films.

He has a dedication to his death in the credits for TriStar Pictures' GODZILLA.

Selected Filmography

Producer

• Godzilla (1954)
• Half Human (1955)
• Godzilla Raids Again (1955)
• Rodan (1956)
• The Mysterians (1957)
• H-Man (1958)
• Varan (1958)
• Battle in Outer Space (1959)
• The Three Treasures (1959)
• The Secret of the Telegian (1960)
• The Human Vapor (1960)
• Mothra (1961)
• King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962)
• Gorath (1962)
• Atragon (1963)
• Matango (1963)
• Mothra vs. Godzilla (1964)
• Dogora (1964)
• Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster (1964)
• Frankenstein vs. Baragon (1965)
• Invasion of Astro-Monster (1965)
• The War of the Gargantuas (1966)
• Ebirah, Horror of the Deep (1966)
• King Kong Escapes (1967)
• Son of Godzilla (1967)
• Destroy All Monsters (1968)
• Latitude Zero (1969)
• All Monsters Attack (1969)
• The Vampire Doll (1970)
• Space Amoeba (1970)
• Godzilla vs. Hedorah (1971)
• Godzilla vs. Gigan (1972)
• Godzilla vs. Megalon (1973)
• Zone Fighter (TV 1973)
• Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla (1974)
• Prophecies of Nostradamus (1974)
• Terror of Mechagodzilla (1975)
• The War in Space (1977)
• Sayonara Jupiter (1984)
• The Return of Godzilla (1984)
• Princess from the Moon (1987)
• Gunhed (1989)
• Godzilla vs. Biollante (1989)
• Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah (1991)
• Godzilla vs. Mothra (1992)
• Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II (1993)
• Yamato Takeru (1994)
• Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla (1994)
• Godzilla vs. Destoroyah (1995)

Gallery

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  Tomoyuki Tanaka with Sadamasa Arikawa, Ishiro Honda, Eiji Tsuburaya, and the monsters cast of Destroy All Monsters

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  Tanaka's photo (right) in Rebirth of Mothra III

Trivia

• Rebirth of Mothra III was the first Toho kaiju film made without Tanaka's involvement. A framed photo of him appears in the Sonoda family's house as a tribute.

External Links

• New York Times obituary