Robert Dunham (July 6, 1931 – August 6, 2001) was an American actor, entrepreneur, writer,

racecar driver Auto racing (also known as car racing, motor racing, or automobile racing) is a motorsport involving the racing of automobiles for competition. Auto racing has existed since the invention of the automobile. Races of various sorts were organis ...

, journalist, and a

US Marine The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...

. He is probably best known for his role as Antonio, Emperor of Seatopia in ''

Godzilla vs. Megalon is a 1973 Japanese ''kaiju'' film directed by Jun Fukuda, written by Fukuda and Shinichi Sekizawa, and produced by Tomoyuki Tanaka, with special effects by Teruyoshi Nakano. Distributed by Toho and produced under their effects subsidiary Toho� ...

'' (1973); Dunham's biggest role would be that of Mark Jackson in the Japanese film, ''

Dogora is a 1964 Japanese Kaiju, ''kaiju'' film directed by Ishirō Honda, with special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya. Produced and distributed by Toho, Toho Studios, the film stars Yosuke Natsuki, Nobuo Nakamura, Hiroshi Koizumi, and Akiko Wakabayashi, a ...

'' (1964) and Captain Martin in ''

The Green Slime is a 1968 tokusatsu science fiction film directed by Kinji Fukasaku and produced by Walter Manley and Ivan Reiner. It was written by William Finger, Tom Rowe and Charles Sinclair from a story by Reiner. The film was shot in Japan with a Japane ...

'' (1968). Dunham was an American living in Japan during most of the country's "Golden Age" of cinema, and worked in films directed by

Ishirō Honda was a Japanese filmmaker who directed 44 feature films in a career spanning 59 years. The most internationally successful Japanese filmmaker prior to Hayao Miyazaki, his films have had a significant influence on the film industry. Honda enter ...

Jun Fukuda was a Japanese film director, screenwriter, and producer. He is best known for directing five entries in the ''Godzilla'' series starting with ''Ebirah, Horror of the Deep'' (1966) as well as the spy films ''Ironfinger is a 1965 Japanese ac ...

, and

Kinji Fukasaku was a Japanese film director and screenwriter. Known for his "broad range and innovative filmmaking," Fukasaku worked in many different genres and styles, but was best known for his gritty yakuza films, typified by the ''Battles Without Honor ...

. He sometimes was billed as Dan Yuma or Danny Yuma. Born in

Maine Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and north ...

, to an affluent family, his parents were Earl and Charlotte Dunham. He has a sister named Patricia June. Robert grew up in

Wellesley Hills, Massachusetts Wellesley () is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. Wellesley is part of Greater Boston. The population was 29,550 at the time of the 2020 census. Wellesley College, Babson College, and a campus of Massachusetts Bay Commu ...

. He attended

Noble and Greenough School The Noble and Greenough School, commonly known as Nobles, is a coeducational, nonsectarian day and five-day boarding school for students in grades seven through twelve. It is near Boston on a campus that borders the Charles River in Dedham, Massa ...

Dedham, Massachusetts Dedham ( ) is a town in and the county seat of Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 25,364 at the 2020 census. It is located on Boston's southwest border. On the northwest it is bordered by Needham, on the southwest b ...

. Dunham was later accepted into

Williams College Williams College is a Private college, private liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Williamstown, Massachusetts. It was established as a men's college in 1793 with funds from the estate of Ephraim Williams, a col ...

, in

Williamstown, Massachusetts Williamstown is a town in the northern part of Berkshire County, in the northwest corner of Massachusetts, United States. It shares a border with Vermont to the north and New York to the west. It is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolit ...

, where he received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Art History. After graduating college, Dunham joined the

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...

. He was stationed in

Yokohama, Japan is the second-largest city in Japan by population and the most populous municipality of Japan. It is the capital city and the most populous city in Kanagawa Prefecture, with a 2020 population of 3.8 million. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of To ...

and served for two years as a lieutenant. Later, he attended correspondence school to learn how to speak Japanese. After being honorably discharged from the Marine Corps., Dunham decided to stay in Japan and opened up his own import/export business. Dunham lived in Tokyo for 22 years, with a Japanese wife Keiko, and their two children, Barbara Ann and Daniel. They later divorced. He met a Japanese model, Setsuko Sazawa, whom he married in 1969. They had two children, Emiko (Emmy) and Marcia. Dunham and his wife Setsuko, moved to

Den-en-chōfu is a residential neighborhood located in western Ōta in southern Tokyo, Japan. It is known as one of the most exclusive neighborhoods in Tokyo. History Den-en-chōfu was built based on the " Garden City" idea originally developed by the Briti ...

, an affluent suburb of Tokyo, where they lived from 1970 to 1975. In 1975, Dunham decided to move his family to the United States and moved to

Cape Cod, Massachusetts Cape Cod is a peninsula extending into the Atlantic Ocean from the southeastern corner of mainland Massachusetts, in the northeastern United States. Its historic, maritime character and ample beaches attract heavy tourism during the summer mont ...

. He became a freelance writer, often contributing material to magazines such as ''

Car and Driver ''Car and Driver'' (''CD'' or ''C/D'') is an American automotive enthusiast magazine. In 2006 its total circulation was 1.23 million. It is owned by Hearst Magazines, who purchased prior owner Hachette Filipacchi Media U.S. in 2011. It was fou ...

''. Unlike many other Westerners in Japanese films at the time, Dunham spoke fluent Japanese and as such, was one of few foreign actors who would maintain their real voice in the released product without the need of over-dubbing by a Japanese actor. Dunham admitted to having had a "torrid love affair" with his co-star of many films, Linda Miller. The relationship ended after Miller moved back to the United States and Dunham claimed to have "lost track of her" after having kept up correspondence via postal mail for a time. He had worked as a security guard for the Sarasota, Florida, Herald-Tribune, and performed in the Players Theatre of Sarasota and Venice Little Theater. He also had formed his own production company, Suncoast/Yuma Productions, writing, producing and directing a full-length film, "Samantha."

Filmography

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dunham, Robert 1931 births 2001 deaths American male actors Godzilla (franchise) American expatriates in Japan People from Wellesley, Massachusetts People from Dedham, Massachusetts Williams College alumni United States Marines People from Williamstown, Massachusetts People from Barnstable County, Massachusetts Noble and Greenough School alumni