Memories: The venerated performer was snapped at a 2014 convention in San Francisco

Historical treasure: Nakajima was snapped next to the heavy outfit he wore in 1965

Nakajima subsequently went on to play Godzilla a series of sequels, including 1955's Godzilla Raids Again, 1962's King Kong vs. Godzilla, 1954's Mothra vs. Godzilla, 1969's All Monsters Attack and 1972's Godzilla vs. Gigan, his last film in the role. The same year he donned the Godzilla costume for the first time, he also appeared in a small role in Akira Kurosawa’s “Seven Samurai.” Nakajima went on to be a contract actor for the Japanese movie studio Toho, where he played other monsters such as King Kong. In his later years, Nakajima attended Japanese monster conventions, including several across the United States, and wrote a Japanese language autobiography Monster Life: Haruo Nakajima, the Original Godzilla Actor, which was published in 2010.
Haruo Nakajima, who portrayed the monster Godzilla from 1954 to 1972, dies at the age of 88.