Actor Haruo Nakajima Talks About His Career Playing the Iconic Movie Monster Godzilla

Great Big Story sat down with actor Haruo Nakajima to talk about his career playing the iconic movie monster Godzilla. Nakajima wore the heavy suit to portray the “King of the Monsters” in 12 films beginning with the original Godzilla in 1954 through his final appearance in Godzilla vs. Gigan in 1972.

Haruo Nakajima is perhaps Japan’s most famous actor, but you wouldn’t necessarily recognize his face. That’s because from 1954 to 1972, he was the man inside the Godzilla costume for 12 consecutive films. At 87 years old, many now consider Nakajima among the most iconic suit actors in film history. We caught up with the legend who gave life to the “King of the Monsters” to find out how he took on the challenge in the original groundbreaking movie.