Akihiko Hirata
| Akihiko Hirata | |
|---|---|
Hirata on the theatrical release poster for Godzilla (1954)
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| Native name | 平田昭彦 |
| Born |
Akihiko Onoda December 26, 1927 Seoul, Korea |
| Died | July 25, 1984 (aged 56) Tokyo, Japan |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1953–1984 |
| Notable credit(s) | Dr. Daisuke Serizawa in Godzilla |
| Spouse(s) | Yoshiko Kuga (1961–1984) |
Akihiko Hirata (平田昭彦 Hirata Akihiko?) (December 16, 1927 – July 25, 1984), born Akihiko Onoda (野田昭彦 Onoda Akihiko?), 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, 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 after a long battle with lung cancer in 1984, at age 56.
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).
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