Eiji Tsuburaya
Visual Effects
Eiji Tsuburaya ranks alongside Willis H. O'Brien and Ray Harryhausen as one of the great visionary SFX masters of twentieth-century fantasy cinema. Best remembered as the amazing special effects genius behind the "Godzilla" series of monster films commencing in 1954, he also contributed effects to a host of other Japanese monster / fantasy / science fiction / drama / propaganda films for over four decades. Eiji Tsuburaya had a keen interest in the cinema from a young age, and legend has it that he acquired a second-hand movie projector when he was only ten years old, and pulled it apart and put it back together with relative ease. He began work as a cinematographer in Kyoto around 1919 and then enhanced his skills to include camera work throughout the 1920s, at which time his eye for detail was in high demand from many studios. Around 1938, he became head of Special Visual Techniques at Toho Studios, and during the Second World War, he was involved in the production of several Japanese propaganda films. He went freelance after the war, and in 1954 he collaborated with director Ishirô Honda on the monster epic Gojira (1954) (aka "Godzilla"). The film was an enormous hit in Japan, and additional scenes were filmed with US actor Raymond Burr and then inserted strategically to give the movie western appeal. "Godzilla, King Of The Monsters" was then released in the USA to strong box office takings, and Godzilla has since appeared in over two dozen films spanning over fifty years, becoming a key cult icon of Japanese culture!! The incredibly talented Tsuburaya went on to be the SFX director behind dozens of Japanese monster & science fiction classics including Sora no daikiju Radon (1956) (aka "Rodan"), Bijo to ekitai ningen (1958) (aka "The H-Man"), Densô ningen (1960) (aka "The Telegian"), Mosura (1961) (aka "Mothra"), Kingu Kongu tai Gojira (1962) (aka "King Kong versus Godzilla"), Varan the Unbelievable (1962), Matango (1963), Furankenshutain tai chitei kaiju Baragon (1965) (aka "Frankenstein Conquers the World"), and Kaiju soshingeki (1968) (aka "Destroy All Monsters" ). Tsuburaya had also established his own production company in 1963 (Tsuburaya Productions), creators of the highly popular "Ultraman" character, and subsequent TV shows and films. On January 25, 1970, while vacationing in Shizuoka Prefecture, Tsuburaya suffered a sudden, fatal heart attack. His incredible film & SFX production company is still active today under the guidance of his grandson, Kazuo Tsuburaya.
Dragon Force: Rise of Ultraman
Original Concept
Age 117 (now 68)
Dragon Force: So Long Ultraman
Original Concept
Age 116 (now 68)
Ultraman: Terror on Route 87
Production Supervisor
Age 87 (now 68)
Ultraman, Ultraseven: Great Violent Monster Fight
Producer
Age 67 (now 68) Ultraman, Ultraseven: Great Violent Monster Fight
Production Supervisor
Age 67 (now 68) Ultraman, Ultraseven: Great Violent Monster Fight
Creator
Age 67 (now 68)
Ultraman: Monster Movie Feature
Production Supervisor
Age 66 (now 68)
Ebirah, Horror of the Deep
Special Effects Supervisor
Age 65 (now 68)
The War of the Gargantuas
Visual Effects Director
Age 65 (now 68)
Invasion of Astro-Monster
Visual Effects Director
Age 64 (now 68)
Frankenstein Conquers the World
Special Effects
Age 64 (now 68) Frankenstein Conquers the World
Visual Effects Director
Age 64 (now 68)
Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster
Special Effects
Age 63 (now 68) Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster
Visual Effects
Age 63 (now 68) Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster
Visual Effects Director
Age 63 (now 68)
The Secret of the Telegian
Visual Effects Director
Age 58 (now 68)
Submarine I-57 Will Not Surrender
Special Effects Supervisor
Age 57 (now 68)
Gigantis, the Fire Monster
Visual Effects Director
Age 57 (now 68)
The Adventures of Sun Wu Kung
Special Effects Supervisor
Age 57 (now 68)
Rodan! The Flying Monster
Visual Effects Director
Age 56 (now 68)
Half Human: The Story of the Abominable Snowman
Special Effects
Age 55 (now 68) Half Human: The Story of the Abominable Snowman
Visual Effects
Age 55 (now 68) Half Human: The Story of the Abominable Snowman
Visual Effects Director
Age 55 (now 68)
Godzilla, the Monster of the Pacific Ocean
Visual Effects Director
Age 55 (now 68) Godzilla, the Monster of the Pacific Ocean
Visual Effects
Age 55 (now 68) Godzilla, the Monster of the Pacific Ocean
Special Effects
Age 55 (now 68) Godzilla, the Monster of the Pacific Ocean
Story
Age 55 (now 68)
The Legend of the White Serpent
Visual Effects
Age 54 (now 68) The Legend of the White Serpent
Special Effects
Age 54 (now 68) The Legend of the White Serpent
Visual Effects Director
Age 54 (now 68)
Godzilla, King of the Monsters!
Visual Effects Director
Age 54 (now 68) Godzilla, King of the Monsters!
Special Effects
Age 54 (now 68) Godzilla, King of the Monsters!
Visual Effects
Age 54 (now 68)
The Invisible Man Appears
Visual Effects Director
Age 48 (now 68)
A Thousand and One Nights with Toho
Special Effects Supervisor
Age 45 (now 68)
A Descendant of Urashima Taro
Special Effects
Age 44 (now 68)
Colonel Kato's Falcon Squadron
Visual Effects
Age 42 (now 68) Colonel Kato's Falcon Squadron
Special Effects
Age 42 (now 68) Colonel Kato's Falcon Squadron
Visual Effects Director
Age 42 (now 68)
Military Song of the Morning Mist
Special Effects
Age 41 (now 68)
The War at Sea from Hawaii to Malaya
Special Effects
Age 41 (now 68) The War at Sea from Hawaii to Malaya
Visual Effects Director
Age 41 (now 68) The War at Sea from Hawaii to Malaya
Visual Effects
Age 41 (now 68)
Bouquet of the South Seas
VFX Director of Photography
Age 40 (now 68)
Castle of Wind and Clouds
Director of Photography
Age 26 (now 68)
Gathering insights...
Also Known As
特撮の神様, 쓰부라야 에이지, 圓谷英二, 円谷英一, Tsuburaya Eiji, Eiichi Tsumuraya, Tsumuraya Eiichi, 圓谷 英一, Eigi Tsuburaya, Eiji Tsuvaraya
IMDB
nm0875212