Haruo Nakajima, who was the man in the Godzilla suit from 1954 to 1972, turned 80 years old today.
Nakajima played several other monsters during his movie career including Rodan, Varan, King Kong and many others. He also became the choreographer of monster fights. He was honored last year at G-FEST XV with the "Mangled Skyscraper Award."
We should have done this days ago (it is now January 2 in Japan), but any birthday greetings to one of the pioneers in daikaiju eiga is appreciated. But go ahead and post your birthday greetings here and I will see to it that his daughter Sonoe receives the messages.
Happy Birthday, Mr. Nakajima!
36 comments:
Armand,
Thanks for that reminder! I have so many great memories of the shows when I met Nakajima over the past 12 years. He has always been a great guest and is THE greatest living connection to the original Godzilla which we all know and love. Domo arigato, Nakajima-San!
John "Dutch" DeSentis
Happy birthday Mr. Nakajima! It was great seeing you at G-FEST this past July in Chicago. Hope you're doing fine.
~Matthew Cookson
I was unaware of this. Thanks for the reminder. To Mr. Nakajima-San. We are so honored to have you visit us again in Chicago last year and hope you return soon. You are truly '' The Man,The Myth, The Lizard!
Happy Birthday and good health.
Loren ''Butch'' Portillo.
Happy Birthday Nakajima-san! I wish you the best!
Matti Keskiivari
Happy belated birthday Nakajima. Hope that the years have treated you well. Your fans still love you. Thanks for the entertainment.
Happy Birthday to the greatest Godzilla suit actor ever!
Happy birthday Mr. Nakajima. I hope I can still be as vital as you are if and when I reach 80!
Best,
Robert Troch
Happy Birthday Mr. Nakajima, and thank you for the numerous memories and smiles along the way.
Peace to you and yours.
Happy Birthday Pops!!!
So glad that you and Sonoe were able to come back and hang around with us last Summer. We all had alot of fun. Hope that we see you again somehow soon.
Take care old friend,
Danny T.
Dear Mr. Nakajima, My family and I send our sincere best wishes on your 80th birthday. Thank you for making G-FEST XV so much fun. May you enjoy continued good health in the years to come. Sincerely, J.D. Lees
Happy Birthday indeed... And Many, Many More...
Although Sonoe Nakajima has the link to this blog, I went ahead and copied and emailed all the greetings above.
If you wish to include yours, go right ahead and I'll send them on. - A.
Happy birthday, Nakajima-San. Your performances as Gojira, Radon, Baran, Baragon, Gaira and Kingu Kongu are legendary icons of the film industry.You brought a special magic to all of your characters that will live on forever!!Also, your work in "stage combat" for the filming of "battle scenes" are classic film moments that the world will never forget.
Domo Arigato,Nakajima-San.
Kevin Horn.
中島さん
お誕生日おめでとう！
僕の日本語が上手ではありません。
すみません！
子供の時、僕はゴジラなど大怪獣が大好きでした。
イギリスではゴジラ映画があまりありませんでしたけど、いつも見なかった映画を探しました！
中島さんの出演は凄いです！
僕は目を見張りました！
中島さんの怖くて、格好いくて、強力なゴジラが大好きです！
中島たちの苦心から、日本の事を発見して、日本語を勉強して、日本人の友達がたくさんいます。
そして、今年僕は日本語を勉強のために東京に住んでいる。
本当に僕の人生を変えました。
そして、僕は一人ではありません。
満天下で中島たちの苦心から人々の人生は変えました．
本当にありがとうございます！
ジム
As the last message was from Jim Ballard and I don't read Japanese, I'll assume it is a nice message.
Thanks to all who sent messages so far. They've been forwarded to Sonoe. - A.
Happy 80th birthday, Mr. Nakajima! Godzilla is my lifelong obsession, and as the true soul of the monster, you are a truly important person in my eyes. Thank you for giving life to the greatest monster in history!
- A Nakajima fan for life, Tristan Leck
Happy Birthday Nakajima-San!
Thank you for bringing me and my husband many great memories of watching your movies together!
Our love of Godzilla and japanese culture shown in your films inspired us to visit Japan two times and will return again because we love it so much!
I received the following message from Sonoe (please forgive her English, but you get the gist):
Dear Armand
「Thank you for a warm message from you.
Immediately, I told it to father.
I was very pleased.
It is a message from father.
「Thank you for my celebration of birthday.
I became 80 years old, too. If it was possible to return to former 25 years old, I would like to challenge the work of new Godzilla and answer your pleasure.
Thank you for everybody about the Godzllia fan.
Haruo Nakajima」
Moreover, it meets you and I think that can do by it.
Please give my best regards to you
Sonoe
なかじま様
たんじょうびおめでとうござます！あけましておめでとうございあまいす！
私はアメリカ人です、今日本に住んでいます。ゴジラと大怪獣の大ファンですよ！！！
なかじま様、もし会いたら、いっしょうにお酒を飲みましょう！ ：）
よろしくおねがいします、
トーマス
American Godzilla fan here who's living and working in Japan (between Tokyo and Yokohama). Just want to wish Mr. Nakajima a happy birthday and thanks for your hard work in all of TOHO's SFX films...you have no idea how much your movies meant to fans like me when growing up. We should have a drink together in Tokyo sometime! :)
Thank you for everything!
ーThomas-
Happy Birthday, Nakajima Sama!
Many more happy returns!
Krypto
k
Nakajima-san,
O-tanjoobi omedetoo gozaimasu! Anata-wa subarashii Gojira-no-purezento nagai-aida wareware-ni kuremashita node, arigatoo gozaimashita.
And my Best Birthday Wishes to a remarkable tsuyoi-dansei!
- John Knighton
Happy Birthday, Nakajimasan! I've enjoyed your work my entire life -- and expect to do so for the rest of my life, too! Thank you so much!
Happy Birthday Haruo Nakajima!! It was great to see you once again at G-Fest 15 last july. I can only hope that you live another 80 years!!
David Nunez
Dear Mr. Nakajima
Happy 80th Birthday! As a lifelong Godzilla fan, I want to send you my deepest regards and congratulations. I do hope that, by some miracle, you *do* turn 25 again and continue to play Godzilla! But otherwise, your successors, including Mr. Satsuma and Mr. Kitagawa, have done a great job of continuing your legacy. My regards go to them as well.
Once again, Happy Birthday, Mr. Nakajima, and I hope you have a happy and healthy new year!
All the Best,
John Paul Cassidy
Richmond, VA
My warmest belated birthday wishes to you, Mr. Nakajima! Huge thanks for all you have done. Never have I seen a character imbued with such personality in quite the same way as you have done with your monster portrayals. Yours is a truly unique and impressive achievement, and I wish you peace and long life.
Happy Birthday, Nakajima-san, and may you have many more! I have been very honored and privileged to have met you.
August Ragone
EIJI TSUBURAYA: MASTER OF MONSTERS
THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND GODZILLA
Dear Mr. Nakajima,
Best wishes to you for your birthday! Your visits to the Godzilla conventions have always been excellent, and your tales of your work have been as enjoyable as watching your movies. We hope you enjoy good health and many more years!
Dave Perrin and family
Mr. Nakajima, I'm a younger fan and I can't tell you how much your performances meant to me as a child in the early 1990s watching the Godzilla series and related films. I still carry my love of these films with me, and I think the time you spent as an actor portraying monsters was a special time in film history. I think you belong in the ranks with Boris Karloff and Bela Legosi as actors who gave otherworldly creatures heart and soul.
I'm so glad you've lived a long and happy life, and I wish you good health.
Thank you so much for the years of joy and happiness you have given me, all my friends and family. We are all indebted to your work. You, Sir, are not just a Japanese national icon but a true treasure to people all over the globe. People in all corners of the Earth know Godzilla. This is because of the life you breathed into a lifeless suit that came out Godzilla.
Happy Birthday Nakajima-San.
Jeff Horne
Happy Birthday Mr. Nakajima!
I've been a fan of Godzilla since the age of three and I always loved watching the classic films with you in the Godzilla suit the most. Congrats on your eightieth!
Cody Himes
Thanks to all who posted their birthday greetings to Haruo Nakajima. All have been forwarded to Sonoe.
Happy Birthday Haruo Nakajima!!!!
Happy birthday greetings and best wishes for the future, Nakajima-san.
Happy Birthday, Nakajima-sama!!!
Your work has assured you a place in not only my heart, but in the spirits of young children and kaiju fans everywhere!
You are the rock on which the Gojira mythos is anchored!
ARIGATO GOZAIMASSU... Long live the King!
Happy birthday, Mr. Nakajima!!
greetings from Mexico.
Anibal Barrón
Nakajima-san, words cannot express the joy you have given Gojira the world over. I spent my whole childhood watching you as Gojira on TV. You have brought so many people together from around the world. It was an honor to have met you. It was a dream come true. I will cherish it forever. Domo arigato.
Scott Martin
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