Henry Okawa

Born Ôkawa Heihachirô, Henry Okawa had a unique career that bridged Hollywood and Japan. He studied at Columbia University and worked as a pilot and aerial acrobat in Hollywood films like Howard Hawks' The Dawn Patrol (1930) before returning to Japan in the 1930s.

Post-war, he adopted the name "Henry Okawa" and appeared in international productions, most famously as Captain Kanematsu in David Lean's The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957). In Japanese cinema, he played the interpreter in The Mysterians (1957) and had roles in Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster (1964) and Destroy All Monsters (1968). In his later years, he utilized his bilingual skills to work as an interpreter for foreign actors on Japanese film sets.