Haruo Nakajima – a.k.a. the man inside the Godzilla suit in every Godzilla film from the original in 1954 to 1972′s Godzilla vs. Gigan – has sadly passed away at the age of 88, Variety reports.
The Japanese actor helped pioneer filmmaking before CGI and motion-capture were created.
Haruo studied animals in the Tokyo zoo to prepare for his roles, which also included Mothra in 1961 and King Kong in 1967′s King Kong Escapes.
Haruo starred in other samurai and war films as well, such as Seven Samurai and Eagle of the Pacific.
Later in life, Haruo attended several Japanese monster conventions and wrote a Japanese language autobiography titled “Monster Life: Haruo Nakajima, the Original Godzilla Actor.”
Our thoughts are with Haruo‘s loved ones during this difficult time.
