Akira Takarada
“Godzilla” star dead at 87
Akira Takarada during a press conference.
© imago images/AFLO
Japanese actor Akira Takarada is dead. The “Godzilla” star died at the age of 87.
Akira Takarada (1934-2022) is dead. The Japanese actor died at the age of 87, according to the Toho film studio on Twitter. “We are saddened to hear of Akira Takarada’s death,” says the tweet. “May his memory continue to inspire the lives of many ‘Godzilla’ fans.”
He starred in the first “Godzilla” film
The production company is not releasing the date of death or the cause of the actor’s death. Takarada is best known for his role in the first “Godzilla” film from 1954, where he played Hideto Ogata. In the years that followed, Takarada appeared in several other films of what is probably the world’s most famous movie monster.
In addition to numerous other film roles, he also acted in several series and also worked as a voice actor. For example, Akira Takarada lent his voice to Jafar in several parts of the video game series “Kingdom Hearts” and also set the Disney character to music in the Japanese version of the animated film “Aladdin”, originally released in 1992.