Kenpachiro Satsuma, 'Godzilla' Suit Actor, Passes Away At 76

TV & Film

Dec 20

Just as the Reiwa (Present) and American eras of the famed Godzilla films are making a comeback in theaters worldwide, the franchise has lost a piece of history. Kenpachiro Satsuma, who wore the monster costumes of Hedorah (the Smog Monster), and the space creature Gigan opposite the first actor to play Godzilla, Hauruo Nakajima, before stepping into the King of the Monster’s suit himself in 1984’s The Return of Godzilla, has passed away at the age of 76. He had fallen ill with interstitial pneumonia in November.

Satsuma was born in Japan in Kagoshima Prefecture on May 27, 1947. He worked in a steel mill until 1965 and joined the Nikkatsu Acting Institute in 1967. He first acted in a Japanese television program, Return of Ultraman, as a guard before making movies with Toho Productions. He then put on the monster costumes, affectionately known as “suit-mation”, for eleven Godzilla films, from 1971’s Godzilla vs. Hedorah until over twenty years later with Godzilla vs. Destoroyah in 1995, playing Gojira’s role for eight of those films. He also acted in other, non-Godzilla films as well, including a North Korean kaiju movie.

During his promotion of Godzilla vs. Hedorah, he suddenly had a bout of acute appendicitis, requiring emergency surgery right after he had given an interview with part of his costume on! He also said that the smoke that was coming off his costume in Godzilla vs. Destoroyah was carbon monoxide, causing him to pass out several times on set. He kept his head when it came to his acting career, saying in an interview, “I can hardly call it acting, but I talk big about it now!” Given the many people worldwide who took delight in his Godzilla movies, his “hardly acting” definitely made a difference in the cinematic universe. He will be missed.