Akihiko Hirata (å¹³ç"°æ˜å½¦, Hirata Akihiko) (December 16, 1927 â€"
July 25, 1984), born Akihiko Onoda (野ç"°æ˜å½¦, Onoda Akihiko), was
a Japanese film actor. While Hirata starred in many movies (including
Hiroshi Inagaki's Samurai trilogy), he is most well known for his work
in the kaiju genre, including such films as King Kong vs. Godzilla,
The Mysterians, Terror of Mechagodzilla, Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla,
and his most famous role of Dr. Daisuke Serizawa, the brilliant but
disturbed young scientist in the original Godzilla, released in 1954.
Hirata was married to the popular actress Yoshiko Kuga from 1961 until
his death. He died at age 56 in 1984 after a long battle with lung
cancer.Hirata was born in Seoul, Korea, in 1927, into a wealthy
family. He was educated at the prestigious Tokyo University's School
of Interior Design. Before joining Shintoho as an assistant director
(under his older brother, Yoshiki Onoda), Hirata moved into still
photography, and eventually joined Toho in 1953, under the studio's
"New Face" program, which would lead to his casting in Godzilla
(although Hirata was originally intended for the part of Ogata,
eventually played by another genre regular, Akira Takarada).Hirata's
film debut came in 1953, with The Last Embrace. Hirata would go on to
play everything from snarling villains to government officials. His
long face and intense features have earned the actor a cult following.
Although Hirata earned lasting fame with his part in Godzilla, the
role also typecast him, and the actor would go on to star in over 20
other sci-fi fantasy films for Toho (among them The H-Man, Gorath, and
Prophecies of Nostradamus, as well as an important recurring role in
the original Ultraman series. It is fitting that in both his first and
final appearances in a Godzilla film, Hirata would play mysterious and
disturbed scientists, as Hirata took on the role of the tragic Dr.
Mafune in 1975's Terror of Mechagodzilla.Hirata died in 1984. The
actor's association with the kaiju genre continued right until his
death, as he helped announce the production of The Return of Godzilla
at a Tokyo press conference, but unfortunately Hirata was too ill to
appear in the film, and the part would eventually go to Yosuke
Natsuki, who had appeared alongside Hirata in Ghidorah, the
Three-Headed Monster in 1964. Hirata died on the 25th of July, 1984,
after a long battle with lung cancer.
July 25, 1984), born Akihiko Onoda (野ç"°æ˜å½¦, Onoda Akihiko), was
a Japanese film actor. While Hirata starred in many movies (including
Hiroshi Inagaki's Samurai trilogy), he is most well known for his work
in the kaiju genre, including such films as King Kong vs. Godzilla,
The Mysterians, Terror of Mechagodzilla, Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla,
and his most famous role of Dr. Daisuke Serizawa, the brilliant but
disturbed young scientist in the original Godzilla, released in 1954.
Hirata was married to the popular actress Yoshiko Kuga from 1961 until
his death. He died at age 56 in 1984 after a long battle with lung
cancer.Hirata was born in Seoul, Korea, in 1927, into a wealthy
family. He was educated at the prestigious Tokyo University's School
of Interior Design. Before joining Shintoho as an assistant director
(under his older brother, Yoshiki Onoda), Hirata moved into still
photography, and eventually joined Toho in 1953, under the studio's
"New Face" program, which would lead to his casting in Godzilla
(although Hirata was originally intended for the part of Ogata,
eventually played by another genre regular, Akira Takarada).Hirata's
film debut came in 1953, with The Last Embrace. Hirata would go on to
play everything from snarling villains to government officials. His
long face and intense features have earned the actor a cult following.
Although Hirata earned lasting fame with his part in Godzilla, the
role also typecast him, and the actor would go on to star in over 20
other sci-fi fantasy films for Toho (among them The H-Man, Gorath, and
Prophecies of Nostradamus, as well as an important recurring role in
the original Ultraman series. It is fitting that in both his first and
final appearances in a Godzilla film, Hirata would play mysterious and
disturbed scientists, as Hirata took on the role of the tragic Dr.
Mafune in 1975's Terror of Mechagodzilla.Hirata died in 1984. The
actor's association with the kaiju genre continued right until his
death, as he helped announce the production of The Return of Godzilla
at a Tokyo press conference, but unfortunately Hirata was too ill to
appear in the film, and the part would eventually go to Yosuke
Natsuki, who had appeared alongside Hirata in Ghidorah, the
Three-Headed Monster in 1964. Hirata died on the 25th of July, 1984,
after a long battle with lung cancer.
Share this
SUBSCRIBE OUR NEWSLETTER
SUBSCRIBE OUR NEWSLETTER
Join us for free and get valuable content delivered right through your inbox.