RIP Hiroshi Koizumi

[Dr Kain]

Man, another fantastic Godzilla great dead. And on my birthday no doubt. RIP.

[Shin_Edda_Robo!!!!!]

Very sad news. Where did you hear this? My absolute favorite role of his was Chujo in Mothra. He got in some cool cameos in Submersion of Japan and The Return of Godzilla (actually, pretty much every major tokusatsu authority figure appeared in those two movies).

But again, my favorite role was Chujo in Mothra. And while Godzilla Raids Again sucked, I actually liked Tsukioka as a character, bogged down in a rather mundane movie.

EDIT: And I of course I have to bring up his role as The Skipper in Matango!

[MekaGojira3k]

Tsukioka and the Skipper stand out because he played so many scientists.

Rest in Peace.

[Benjamin Haines]

Very sad news. He was definitely a staple of the genre, from his starring roles in Godzilla Raids Again and Mothra to appearances in Matango, Atragon, Mothra vs. Godzilla, Dogora, Ghidorah the Three-Headed Monster, Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla, The Return of Godzilla, and one final turn in Godzilla: Tokyo SOS.

[Gwangi]

Man, this is news you never wanted to hear but was inevitable. After "Ghidrah, The Three-Headed Monster", Mr. Koizumi seemed to have disappeared from the genre only to resurface in the 1970s and beyond.

Any major kaiju role he was in I loved (with the exception of the police inspector in "Atragon" where he really took a back seat in that one).

[jellydonut25]

Sad face.

[lhb412]

Sad to see him go. He had this solid, stoic presence that made him an authority figure, but it was undercut with a humanity that gave him (and his characters) an air of gentleness. He was perfect Toho hero material.

... but, he lived a real good, long life. Good show.

[Reaper G]

I got to meet him at G-CON '99; in fact, I was sitting across from him at the alt.movies.monster dinner at TGI Friday's. His daughter was with him and he had a good command of English. He was getting a good laugh at my expense as the server forgot my food and I was letting my beer get warm. He got another good laugh at those awful G '98 toys where you push the mouth open and a bubble gum tongue pops out.

I met him again five years later at Monsterpalooza. He didn't quite remember me, but he was thrilled to be reunited with Jerry Ito.

Sayonara, Koizumi-sama, no arigato.

[Jared]

I was just thinking today about how it's amazing that he, Akira Takarada, Tatsuo Nakadai and Haruo Nakajima are still around, but alas...RIP. A memorable and remarkably likable actor.

What's everyone's favorite role of his? Mine would have to be Chujo from MOTHRA. My main visual association with Koizumi is Chujo, with his scraggly facial hair, hiding behind a newspaper as the journalists attempt to interview him...

[Shin_Edda_Robo!!!!!]

[Reaper G]

The skipper in Matango was Koizumi's personal favorite. Great to see him outside his usual professor role.

[Mexigojira]

Just now it was mentioned on Anime News Network.



Rest in peace.

This and this past years many characters from my childhood had passed away.

[Russzilla]

It's always sad to see great Toho actors and actresses like these from Toho's Golden Years pass away on us. He was by far one of my favorites.