Tezuka Katsumi

Tezuka Katsumi was a Japanese actor and stuntman remembered for his physical contributions to the early Golden Age of Toho's kaiju eiga output, specifically serving as a suit actor alongside Nakajima Haruo.

Prior to the outbreak of World War II, Tezuka had a professional career as a baseball player, pitching for the Great Japan Tokyo Baseball Club (which would evolve into the Yomiuri Giants) and the professional Shochiku Robins. Following the war, he transitioned away from sports and was recruited by Toho Studios to serve primarily as a stuntman and physical actor.

During the pre-production of the original Godzilla (1954), the athletic Tezuka was chosen to test the heavy prototype Godzilla costume. Outfitted in the stiff rubber suit, Tezuka stumbled and was unable to maneuver effectively. Ultimately, the physically demanding lead role of Godzilla was awarded to the much younger stuntman Nakajima Haruo, though Tezuka still participated during production, swapping into the suit for stationary or less demanding shots.

In the genre of tokusatsu spectacles, Tezuka's most famous credited suit-acting role occurred as the quadruped Anguirus, engaging in physical combat opposite Nakajima's Godzilla in the sequel Godzilla Raids Again (1955). Tezuka continued to assist the special effects department throughout the 1950s and early 1960s, donning creature costumes for monsters such as Meganulon in Rodan (1956), the robotic Mogera in The Mysterians (1957), and Varan in Varan the Unbelievable (1958). He also occasionally swapped places with Nakajima to play Godzilla when the shooting schedule demanded it (most famously during the water shoots in Mothra vs. Godzilla).

Tezuka's direct involvement in kaiju eiga productions waned by the mid-1960s as he aged out of stunt work. He faded from the public eye shortly thereafter. Japanese Wikipedia claims that Tezuka passed away in 1989, although this has not been officially confirmed by his family or any studio.