was a Japanese film actor best known for his roles in the ''Godzilla'' film series.

Life and career

Akira Takarada was born in Korea under Japanese rule, and lived for a time in

Manchuria Manchuria is an exonym (derived from the endo demonym " Manchu") for a historical and geographic region in Northeast Asia encompassing the entirety of present-day Northeast China (Inner Manchuria) and parts of the Russian Far East (Outer M ...

, China. His father worked as an

engineer Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who invent, design, analyze, build and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while considering the limit ...

on the

South Manchuria Railway The South Manchuria Railway ( ja, 南満州鉄道, translit=Minamimanshū Tetsudō; ), officially , Mantetsu ( ja, 満鉄, translit=Mantetsu) or Mantie () for short, was a large of the Empire of Japan whose primary function was the operatio ...

. After the war, he remained in Harbin, and he was able to speak

Mandarin Chinese Mandarin (; ) is a group of Chinese (Sinitic) dialects that are natively spoken across most of northern and southwestern China. The group includes the Beijing dialect, the basis of the phonology of Standard Chinese, the official language ...

and

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

. Takarada moved to

Allied-occupied Japan Japan was occupied and administered by the victorious Allies of World War II from the 1945 surrender of the Empire of Japan at the end of the war until the Treaty of San Francisco took effect in 1952. The occupation, led by the United States wi ...

with his family in 1948. He joined

Toho is a Japanese film, theatre production and distribution company. It has its headquarters in Chiyoda, Tokyo, and is one of the core companies of the Osaka-based Hankyu Hanshin Toho Group. Outside of Japan, it is best known as the producer ...

as part of their "New Face" program in April 1953. In his film debut, he had a small role in ''And Then the Liberty Bell Rang'', a biography of the educator

Fukuzawa Yukichi was a Japanese educator, philosopher, writer, entrepreneur and samurai who founded Keio University, the newspaper '' Jiji-Shinpō'', and the Institute for Study of Infectious Diseases. Fukuzawa was an early advocate for reform in Japan. Hi ...

. His big break came when he was cast as navy diver Hideto Ogata in the original ''

Godzilla is a fictional monster, or '' kaiju'', originating from a series of Japanese films. The character first appeared in the 1954 film '' Godzilla'' and became a worldwide pop culture icon, appearing in various media, including 32 films prod ...

'' (1954). He became a popular actor at Toho for his good looks and charismatic, sophisticated character. He continued his association with the Godzilla series in '' Mothra vs. Godzilla'' (1964), ''

Invasion of Astro-Monster is a 1965 ''kaiju'' film directed by Ishirō Honda, with special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya. It is the sixth film in the ''Godzilla'' franchise and Shōwa period. The film was a Japanese-American co-production; it was the second collaboration b ...

'' (1965), and ''

Godzilla vs. the Sea Monster is a 1966 Japanese '' kaiju'' film directed by Jun Fukuda and produced and distributed by Toho Co., Ltd. The film stars Akira Takarada, Kumi Mizuno, Akihiko Hirata and Eisei Amamoto, and features the fictional monster characters Godzilla, Mo ...

'' (1966). He returned to the series in 1992 with ''

Godzilla vs. Mothra is a 1992 Japanese ''kaiju'' film directed by Takao Okawara, written by Kazuki Ōmori, and produced by Shogo Tomiyama. Produced and distributed by Toho Studios, it is the 19th film in the ''Godzilla'' franchise, and is the fourth film in the ...

'' and appeared again in '' Godzilla: Final Wars'' (2004). Other Toho science-fiction/special-effects films in which he appeared include ''

Half Human is a 1955 Japanese science fiction horror film directed by Ishirō Honda, with special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya. The film stars Akira Takarada, Momoko Kōchi, Akemi Negishi, Sachio Sakai, and Nobuo Nakamura, with Sanshiro Sagara as the Abomina ...

'' (1955), '' The Last War'' (1961), ''

King Kong Escapes is a 1967 Kaiju, ''kaiju'' film directed by Ishirō Honda, with special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya. The film was a Cinema of Japan, Japanese–Cinema of the United States, American co-production between Toho and Rankin/Bass Animated Entertainment ...

'' (1967), and '' Latitude Zero'' (1969). Toho prepared a musical production of ''

Gone with the Wind Gone with the Wind most often refers to: * ''Gone with the Wind'' (novel), a 1936 novel by Margaret Mitchell * ''Gone with the Wind'' (film), the 1939 adaptation of the novel Gone with the Wind may also refer to: Music * ''Gone with the Wind'' ...

'' with

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

composer-lyricist

Harold Rome Harold Jacob "Hecky" Rome (May 27, 1908 – October 26, 1993) was an American composer, lyricist, and writer for musical theater. Biography Rome was born in Hartford, Connecticut and graduated from Hartford Public High School. Originally, he c ...

for its new Imperial Garden theatre in 1970. Entitled ''Scarlett,'' Takarada was originally scheduled to play the role of

Rhett Butler Rhett Butler (Born in 1828) is a fictional character in the 1936 novel '' Gone with the Wind'' by Margaret Mitchell and in the 1939 film adaptation of the same name. It is one of Clark Gable's most recognizable and significant roles. Role Rh ...

. However, injuries sustained in an accident in which he fell off a bulldozer while filming prevented him from participating in this stage production. Takarada made a guest appearance at the fan convention G-Fest XVII in 2010, and again at

G-Fest G-Fest, often typeset as G-FEST, is an annual Fan convention, convention devoted to the Godzilla (franchise), ''Godzilla'' film franchise and other ''kaiju'' (literally ''strange beast'', also the name of the genre of Japanese giant monster movie ...

XIX in July 2012,

XXIII in July 2016, and

XXVI in 2019. He received G-FEST's Mangled Skyscraper Award in 2010, and the G-FAN Lifetime Achievement Award in 2019. He has come to be known as "The Godfather of G-FEST." On March 27, 2013, Takarada posed for publicity photographs with director

Gareth Edwards Sir Gareth Owen Edwards CBE (born 12 July 1947) is a Welsh former rugby union player who played scrum-half and has been described by the BBC as "arguably the greatest player ever to don a Welsh jersey". In 2003, in a poll of international ...

on the set of the Legendary/Warner Bros ''

'' reboot, suggesting a cameo of sorts in the new movie. His scenes were filmed, but ultimately cut from the movie. He is still listed in the movie credits.

Filmography

Selected works

Television

Television drama

*'' Shiratori Reiko de Gozaimasu!'' (1993) (Shōtarō Hakuchō) *'' Tokugawa Yoshinobu'' (1998) (

Takatsukasa Masamichi was a Japanese court noble of the late Edo period. He held the regent position of kampaku from 1823–1856. Biography Masamichi was born the son of regent Takatsukasa Masahiro. He served as kampaku from 1823–1856. In 1856, at the Ansei Pur ...

) *'' Watashi no Aozora'' (2000) (Jōji Murai) *''

Shōtoku Taishi Shōtoku may refer to: * Prince Shōtoku (574-622), a politician of the Asuka period * Empress Kōken, or Empress Shōtoku (718-770), the 48th imperial ruler of Japan * Shōtoku (era) was a after ''Hōei'' and before '' Kyōhō.'' This period ...

'' (2001) (

Mononobe no Moriya was an '' Ō-muraji'', a high-ranking clan head position of the ancient Japanese Yamato state, having inherited the position from his father Mononobe no Okoshi. Like his father, he was a devoted opponent of Buddhism, which had recently been int ...

) *'' Rokkā no Hanako-san'' (2002) (Kaichō Tatsumi) *'' Saka no Ue no Kumo'' (2009) (Fujino Susumu) *''

Carnation ''Dianthus caryophyllus'' (), commonly known as the carnation or clove pink, is a species of ''Dianthus''. It is likely native to the Mediterranean region but its exact range is unknown due to extensive cultivation for the last 2,000 years.Med ...

'' (2011) (Seizaburō Matsuzaka) *'' Keisei Saimin no Otoko Part 3'' (2015) ( Ikeda Shigeaki)

Dubbing roles

Live action

*'' The Ambushers'' (Matt Helm) *'' Cats'' (Gus "Asparagus" the Theatre Cat ( Ian McKellen)) *''

Doctor Dolittle Doctor John Dolittle is the central character of a series of children's books by Hugh Lofting starting with the 1920 '' The Story of Doctor Dolittle''. He is a physician who shuns human patients in favour of animals, with whom he can speak in th ...

'' (

) *'' Murderers' Row'' (Matt Helm)

Animation

*'' Aladdin'' (1992) ( Jafar) **''

The Return of Jafar ''The Return of Jafar'' (sometimes marketed as ''Aladdin: The Return of Jafar'' on re-release) is a 1994 American direct-to-video animated musical fantasy film produced by Walt Disney Pictures and Television. It is the first sequel to the 1992 fi ...

'' *Disney's ''

House of Mouse ''Disney's House of Mouse'' (or simply ''House of Mouse'') is an American animated television series produced by Walt Disney Television Animation that originally aired for three seasons on ABC and Toon Disney from January 13, 2001, to its final ...

'' (Ratigan, Jafar) *Disney's ''

The Great Mouse Detective ''The Great Mouse Detective'' (also known as ''The Adventures of the Great Mouse Detective'' for its 1992 theatrical re-release and ''Basil the Great Mouse Detective'' in some countries) is a 1986 American animated mystery adventure film produc ...

'' (Ratigan) * Star Wars Rebels Season 3 (Bendu)
/ref>

Video games

* Adventure of Tokyo Disney Sea ~Losing of Jewel's Secret (Jafar) *'' Kingdom Hearts'' (2002) (Jafar) *'' Kingdom Hearts II'' (2005) (Jafar) *'' Kingdom Hearts Re:coded'' (2010) (Jafar)

Stage productions

*''

My Fair Lady ''My Fair Lady'' is a musical based on George Bernard Shaw's 1913 play '' Pygmalion'', with a book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe. The story concerns Eliza Doolittle, a Cockney flower girl who takes speech lessons ...

'' *'' South Pacific''

Other

Tokyo Disneyland (local nickname ''TDL'') is a theme park at the Tokyo Disney Resort in Urayasu, Chiba Prefecture, Japan, near Tokyo. Its main gate is directly adjacent to both Maihama Station and Tokyo Disneyland Station. It was the first Disney park to ...

attraction:

Country Bear Jamboree The Country Bear Jamboree is an attraction in the Magic Kingdom theme park at the Walt Disney World Resort and at Tokyo Disneyland in the Tokyo Disney Resort. The attraction also existed at Disneyland Park. All versions of the attraction are simi ...

(Henry)

References

Bibliography

* * * * * *

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Takarada, Akira 1934 births 2022 deaths 20th-century Japanese male actors 21st-century Japanese male actors Japanese male voice actors Japanese stage actors