Akihiko Hirata
Akihiko Onoda, known professionally as Akihiko Hirata, was a Japanese film actor.
He is known for his work in the kaiju genre, including such films as King Kong vs. Godzilla, The Mysterians, Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla, Terror of Mechagodzilla, and his most famous role of Dr. Daisuke Serizawa, the brilliant but disturbed young scientist in the original Godzilla, released in 1954. He starred in many movies, including Hiroshi Inagaki's Samurai trilogy.
Early life
Hirata was born in Seoul, Korea, in 1927, into a wealthy family. He was educated at the prestigious Tokyo University's School of Law. Before joining Shintoho as an assistant director, 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.Career
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. In both his first and final appearances in a Godzilla film, Hirata played mysterious and disturbed scientists, as Hirata took on the role of the tragic Dr. Mafune in 1975's Terror of Mechagodzilla.Hirata'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's final film role was in the 1984 film Sayonara Jupiter.
Personal life and death
Hirata was married to actress Yoshiko Kuga from 1961 until his death.On July 25, 1984, Hirata died from lung cancer at the age of 56.
Selected filmography
Film
The Last Embrace as Yamaoka, alias SandaimePu-san Girls Amongst the Flowers as Takamaro KitaôjiEven the Mighty Shed Tears Farewell Rabaul as First lieutenant NoguchiItsuko to sono haha as Kozo MiyoshiSamurai I: Musashi Miyamoto as Seijuro YoshiokaGodzilla as Dr. Daisuke SerizawaSanjusan go sha otonashi Samurai II: Duel at Ichijoji Temple as Seijūrō YoshiokaThe Lone Journey as Horikoshi no MasakichiNatsume Sôseki no Sanshirô as SugimotoKaettekita wakadan'na as MochizukiSamurai III: Duel at Ganryu Island as Seijūrō YoshiokaKuro-obi sangokushi as Shunsuke IbaGodzilla, King of the Monsters! as Dr. SerizawaFuryô shônen Harikiri shacho Ani to sono musume as MichioNisshokû no natsu Rodan as Professor Kyouichiro KashiwagiTaian kichijitsu Arashi no naka no otoko Ôban Nemuri Kyôshirô burai hikae dainibu Ninjitsu as TomonoriWakare no chatsumi-uta Waga mune ni niji wa kiezu as TokuokaKoto no tsume Zoku Ôban: Fûun hen as Count ArishimaSaigo no dasso as SonWakare no chatsumi-uta shimai-hen: Oneesan to yonda hito Kottaisan yori: Nyotai wa kanashiku as SashichiZokuzoku Ôban: Dotô hen as ArishimaThe Mysterians as Ryōichi ShiraishiYagyû bugeichô: Sôryû hiken as TomonoriKiuchi yasuto Kanai anzen as Yôtarô IbukiThe H-Man as Inspector TominagaHitokui ama as Detective MakinoHana no bojô as Seigetsu IzumidaJosei SOS Varan the Unbelievable as Dr. FujimuraAnkokugai no kaoyaku Daigaku no oneechan as IwafuneAru kengo no shogai as AkaboshiSubmarine I-57 Will Not Surrender Sengoku gunto-den as Jiro HidekuniThe Three Treasures as Kibino TakehikoThe Last Gunfight as Susumu Tendo, the killerKuroi gashû: Aru sarariman no shôgen Sarariman shussetai kôki daigobu The Secret of the Telegian as Detective KobayashiDâisan hâtobanô kêtto Storm Over the Pacific as an OfficerDaigaku no sanzôkutachi as Marukyû Department Store ManagerMan Against Man as TorimiDokuritsu gurentai nishi-e Minagoroshi no uta' yori kenjû-yo saraba! as Kozo KinugawaThe Story of Osaka Castle as Hayatonosho SusukidaAnkokugai no dankon Nasake muyo no wana as MorishimaKaoyaku akatsukini shisu Ai to honoho to as Kyo SawadaDangai no kettoMothra as DoctorKurenai no umi Onna bakari no yoru Kuroi gashû dainibu: Kanryû Sanjuro as SamuraiGorath as Spaceshop Otori Captain EndoDobunezumi sakusen King Kong vs. Godzilla as Doctor ShigesawaYama-neko sakusen Wakai kisetsu Chūshingura: Hana no Maki, Yuki no Maki as Yasoemon OkajimaVaran the Unbelievable as ObserverAnkokugai no kiba Ai no uzu shio Attack Squadron! as Senda's AideOnna ni tsuyoku naru kufû no kazukazu as Rokusuke SakaiNippon jitsuwa jidai Chintao yôsai bakugeki meirei Hawai no wakadaishô Norainu sakusen Eburi manshi no yûga-na seikatsu Atragon as Mu Agent #23Whirlwind as Ryutaro InoueKyô mo ware ôzora ni ari Garakuta Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster as Chief Detective OkitaSamurai Assassin as Sohei MasuiAnkokugai gekitotsu sakusen as ShimadaFûrai ninpôchô Taiheiyô kiseki no sakusen: Kisuka as Dr. KudoHonkon no shiroibara as Asano100 Shot, 100 Killed as KomoriBaka to Hasami Musekinin Shimizu Minato Rise Against the Sword as AsakuraKiganjô no bôken as ChamberlainJa ja umanarashi Doto ichiman kairi as NozakiEbirah, Horror of the Deep as Captain YamotoThe Killing Bottles as Man With Turkish HatJapan's Longest Day as Commander Sugahara - 302nd Air GroupSon of Godzilla as FujisakiUltraman as Professor IwamotoIsoroku as Staff Officer WatanabeDai bakuhatsu as WLatitude Zero as Dr. Sugata; Doctor of Latitude ZeroBattle of the Japan Sea as Staff Officer TsunodaMito Kômon man'yûki as Geki KurokawaDai Nippon suri shûdan as FuransuNagurikomi Shimizu Minato Kigeki: Makete tamaru ka! Gekido no showashi 'Gunbatsu as Tomita Kigeki kinô no teki wa kyô mo teki Ningen kakumei Karei-naru Ichizoku as HarutaGodzilla vs. Mechagodzilla as Professor Hideto MiyajimaProphecies of Nostradamus as Environmental Scientist 1Terror of Mechagodzilla as Dr. Shinji MafuneDômyaku rettô as TanemuraÔzora no samurai Otoko wa tsurai yo: Torajirô to tonosama as MunemichiKamen Rider X: Five Rider vs King Dark as Dr.WisutThe War in Space as Commander Oishi, Japan Defence ForcesGodzilla as Dr. SerizawaÔgon no inu as Kan AizawaAh! Nomugi toge as Prince FushiminomiyaUltraman: Great Monster Decisive Battle Port Arthur as Gaishi NagaokaImperial Navy Eki Chikagoro naze ka Charusuton Suparuta no umi Sayonara Jupiter as Doctor Inoue Ryutarou