Happy Birthday to Original Godzilla Suit Actor Haruo Nakajima & Actress Kumi Mizuno!

To continue with the New Year celebration is the birth of two extremely important performers in the kaiju fandom.

Today Haruo Nakajima turns 88! The man played Godzilla from 1954-1972; his last film in the series was Godzilla vs. Gigan. In their debut films, he also played Rodan, Varan, Baragon, Gaira and Mothra! (Yes, he was put into a giant larva Mothra suit.)

He also played several monsters in Ultra Q and Ultraman such as Gomess and Jiras. (Both constructed from prior Godzilla suits.) Today he travels to conventions greeting many fans. We wish him a wonderful birthday and great 2017.

Actress Kumi Mizuno turns 80 today! Known best for her role in Monster Zero as Miss Namikawa. She also returned to the series the following year as Daiyo in Godzilla vs. The Sea Monster and then over 30 years later in Godzilla x MechaGodzilla and Godzilla: Final Wars.

She's a veteran of many Toho science fiction classics such as Ishiro Honda's Matango, Gorath, Frankenstein Conquers the World and War of the Gargantuas. She continues to act prominently in television and film today.

We also wish her well for her 80th Birthday and a great year to start!

It's fantastic we as fans get to continue the New Year's celebration with heroes of the fandom celebrating their birth! What are some of your favorite moments with these performers? Wish these veterans well! They're a large part of why we have a fandom at all! Happy 2017.