Akihiko Hirata

Akihiko Hirata
(December 16, 1927 – July 25, 1984), born , 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.
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 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).
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.
Death
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. His final film role was in the 1984 film Sayonara Jupiter.
Selected filmography
Film
The Last Embrace (1953) as Yamaoka, alias Sandaime
Pu-san (1953)
Girls Amongst the Flowers (1953) as Takamaro Kitaôji
Even the Mighty Shed Tears (1953)
Farewell Rabaul (1954) as First lieutenant Noguchi
Itsuko to sono haha (1954) as Kozo Miyoshi
Samurai I: Musashi Miyamoto (1954) as Seijuro Yoshioka
Godzilla (1954) as Dr. Daisuke Serizawa
Sanjusan go sha otonashi (1955)
Samurai II: Duel at Ichijoji Temple (1955) as Seijūrō Yoshioka
The Lone Journey (1955) as Horikoshi no Masakichi
Natsume Sôseki no Sanshirô (1955) as Sugimoto
Kaettekita wakadan'na (1955) as Mochizuki
Samurai III: Duel at Ganryu Island (1956) as Seijūrō Yoshioka
Kuro-obi sangokushi (1956) as Shunsuke Iba
Godzilla, King of the Monsters! (1956) as Dr. Serizawa
Furyô shônen (1956)
Harikiri shacho (1956)
Ani to sono musume (1956) as Michio
Nisshokû no natsu (1956)
Rodan (1956) as Professor Kyouichiro Kashiwagi
Taian kichijitsu (1957)
Arashi no naka no otoko (1957)
Ôban (1957)
Nemuri Kyôshirô burai hikae dainibu (1957)
Ninjitsu (1957) as Tomonori
Wakare no chatsumi-uta (1957)
Waga mune ni niji wa kiezu (1957) as Tokuoka
Koto no tsume (1957)
Zoku Ôban: Fûun hen (1957) as Count Arishima
Saigo no dasso (1957) as Son
Wakare no chatsumi-uta shimai-hen: Oneesan to yonda hito (1957)
Kottaisan yori: Nyotai wa kanashiku (1957) as Sashichi
Zokuzoku Ôban: Dotô hen (1957) as Arishima
The Mysterians (1957) as Ryōichi Shiraishi
Yagyû bugeichô: Sôryû hiken (1958) as Tomonori
Kiuchi yasuto (1958)
Kanai anzen (1958) as Yôtarô Ibuki
The H-Man (1958) as Inspector Tominaga
Hitokui ama (1958) as Detective Makino
Hana no bojô (1958) as Seigetsu Izumida
Josei SOS (1958)
Varan the Unbelievable (1958) as Dr. Fujimura
Ankokugai no kaoyaku (1959)
Daigaku no oneechan (1959) as Iwafune
Aru kengo no shogai (1959) as Akaboshi
Submarine I-57 Will Not Surrender (1959)
Sengoku gunto-den (1959) as Jiro Hidekuni
The Three Treasures (1959) as Kibino Takehiko
The Last Gunfight (1960) as Susumu Tendo, the killer
Kuroi gashû: Aru sarariman no shôgen (1960)
Sarariman shussetai kôki daigobu (1960)
The Secret of the Telegian (1960) as Detective Kobayashi
Dâisan hâtobanô kêtto (1960)
Storm Over the Pacific (1960) as an Officer
Daigaku no sanzôkutachi (1960) as Marukyû Department Store Manager
Man Against Man (1960) as Torimi
Dokuritsu gurentai nishi-e (1960)
Minagoroshi no uta' yori kenjû-yo saraba! (1960) as Kozo Kinugawa
The Story of Osaka Castle (1961) as Hayatonosho (Hayato) Susukida
Ankokugai no dankon (1961)
Nasake muyo no wana (1961) as Morishima
Kaoyaku akatsukini shisu (1961)
Ai to honoho to (1961) as Kyo Sawada
Dangai no ketto Mothra (1961) as Doctor
Kurenai no umi (1961)
Onna bakari no yoru (1961)
Kuroi gashû dainibu: Kanryû (1961)
Sanjuro (1962) as Samurai
Gorath (1962) as Spaceshop Otori [J-X Eagle] Captain Endo
Dobunezumi sakusen (1962)
King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962) as Doctor Shigesawa
Yama-neko sakusen (1962)
Wakai kisetsu (1962)
Chūshingura: Hana no Maki, Yuki no Maki (1962) as Yasoemon Okajima
Varan the Unbelievable (1962) as Observer
Ankokugai no kiba (1962)
Ai no uzu shio (1962)
Attack Squadron! (1963) as Senda's Aide
Onna ni tsuyoku naru kufû no kazukazu (1963) as Rokusuke Sakai
Nippon jitsuwa jidai (1963)
Chintao yôsai bakugeki meirei (1963)
Hawai no wakadaishô (1963)
Norainu sakusen (1963)
Eburi manshi no yûga-na seikatsu (1963)
Atragon (1963) as Mu Agent #23
Whirlwind (1964) as Ryutaro Inoue
Kyô mo ware ôzora ni ari (1964)
Garakuta (1964)
Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster (1964) as Chief Detective Okita
Samurai Assassin (1965) as Sohei Masui
Ankokugai gekitotsu sakusen (1965) as Shimada
Fûrai ninpôchô (1965)
Taiheiyô kiseki no sakusen: Kisuka (1965) as Dr. Kudo
Honkon no shiroibara (1965) as Asano
100 Shot, 100 Killed (1965) as Komori
Baka to Hasami (1965)
Musekinin Shimizu Minato (1965)
Rise Against the Sword (1966) as Asakura
Kiganjô no bôken (1966) as Chamberlain
Ja ja umanarashi (1966)
Doto ichiman kairi (1966) as Nozaki
Ebirah, Horror of the Deep (1966) as Captain Yamoto
The Killing Bottles (1967) as Man With Turkish Hat
Japan's Longest Day (1967) as Commander Sugahara - 302nd Air Group
Son of Godzilla (1967) as Fujisaki
Ultraman (1968) as Professor Iwamoto
Isoroku (1968) as Staff Officer Watanabe
Dai bakuhatsu (1969) as W
Latitude Zero (1969) as Dr. Sugata; Doctor of Latitude Zero
Battle of the Japan Sea (1969) as Staff Officer Tsunoda
Mito Kômon man'yûki (1969) as Geki Kurokawa
Dai Nippon suri shûdan (1969) as Furansu
Nagurikomi Shimizu Minato (1970)
Kigeki: Makete tamaru ka! (1970)
Gekido no showashi 'Gunbatsu (1970) as Tomita (uncredited)
Kigeki kinô no teki wa kyô mo teki (1971)
Ningen kakumei (1973)
Karei-naru Ichizoku (1974) (1974) as Haruta
Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla (1974) as Professor Hideto Miyajima
Prophecies of Nostradamus (1974) as Environmental Scientist 1
Terror of Mechagodzilla (1975) as Dr. Shinji Mafune
Dômyaku rettô (1975) as Tanemura
Ôzora no samurai (1976)
Otoko wa tsurai yo: Torajirô to tonosama (1967) as Munemichi
The War in Space (1977) as Commander Oishi, Japan Defence Forces
Godzilla (1977) as Dr. Serizawa
Ôgon no inu (1979) as Kan Aizawa
Ah! Nomugi toge (1979) as Prince Fushiminomiya
Ultraman: Great Monster Decisive Battle (1979)
Port Arthur (1980) as Gaishi Nagaoka
Imperial Navy (1981)
Eki (1981)
Chikagoro naze ka Charusuton (1981)
Suparuta no umi (1983)
Sayonara Jupiter (1984) as Doctor Inoue Ryutarou
Television
Ultra Q (1966) as Chief Hanazawa
Ultraman (1966-1967) as Dr. Iwamoto
Ultraseven (1967) as Staff Officer Yanagawa
Taiyō ni Hoero! (1972–83) as Takayuki Nishiyama(Semi-regular)
Warrior of Love Rainbowman (1972) AS Mr. K
Shinsho Taikōki (1973) as Hosokawa Fujitaka
Onihei Hankachō (1975) as Kyōgoku Bizen
Daitetsujin 17 (1977) as Captain Gomez
Kusa Moeru (1979) as Yoshiyasu Ichijo
References
1927 births
1984 deaths
Deaths from lung cancer in Japan
Japanese male film actors
University of Tokyo alumni
20th-century Japanese male actors
Male actors from Seoul