TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Haruo Nakajima, the actor who donned the iconic monster suit of Godzilla in the original 1954 movie, died on Monday, August 7, Toho Studio announced. Nakajima was 88 years old.
A Toho spokesperson gave a press statement, revealing that Nakajima died of pneumonia.
Nakajima, who started his movie career as a stuntman, first wore the 100-kilogram Godzilla suit at the age of 25.
He prepared for the role by visiting a Tokyo zoo to study how elephants and bears moved, Toho's website wrote, remembering the actor.
The Godzilla franchise has spawned 29 movies in Japan. The original film "Gojira" attracted 9.6 million moviegoers to the theaters, AFP reported.
ANTARA