Eiji Tsuburaya1901 - 1970
usually
Visual Effects
Popularity
0.9
Famous
Biography
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.
Credits
1969
Family • Fantasy • Science Fiction
Special Effects Supervisor, Special Effects, Editorial Consultant
1967
Adventure • Family • Science Fiction
Special Effects, Special Effects Supervisor, Visual Effects Supervisor
1967
Action • Fantasy • Horror • Science Fiction
Visual Effects, Special Effects, Visual Effects Director
1967
Action • Adventure • Science Fiction
Production Supervisor, Creator, Producer
1966
Action • Fantasy • Science Fiction
Special Effects, Special Effects Supervisor, Visual Effects
1966
Action • Horror • Science Fiction
Visual Effects, Visual Effects Director, Special Effects
1965
Action • Science Fiction
Special Effects, Visual Effects, Visual Effects Director
1964
Action • Fantasy • Science Fiction • Thriller
Special Effects, Visual Effects, Visual Effects Director
1964
Action • Drama • Science Fiction
Special Effects, Visual Effects Director, Visual Effects
1963
Drama • Fantasy • Horror • Mystery • Science Fiction • Thriller
Special Effects Supervisor, Special Effects, Visual Effects
1963
Action • Adventure • Comedy • Fantasy • Science Fiction
Special Effects, Visual Effects, Visual Effects Director
1962
Action • Adventure • Comedy • Fantasy • Science Fiction
Special Effects, Visual Effects Director, Visual Effects
1962
Action • Science Fiction • Thriller
Special Effects, Visual Effects Director, Visual Effects
1961
Adventure • Fantasy • Science Fiction
Visual Effects, Visual Effects Director, Special Effects
1960
Crime • Drama • Horror • Romance • Science Fiction • Thriller
Special Effects, Visual Effects, Visual Effects Director
1960
Horror • Mystery • Science Fiction
Visual Effects, Visual Effects Director, Special Effects
1959
Action • Science Fiction
Special Effects, Visual Effects Director, Visual Effects
1959
Action • Adventure • Horror • Science Fiction
Special Effects, Visual Effects, Visual Effects Director
1958
Horror • Science Fiction
Visual Effects, Special Effects, Visual Effects Director
1957
Action • Drama • Science Fiction • Thriller • War
Special Effects, Visual Effects, Visual Effects Director
1957
Action • Horror • Science Fiction
Story, Special Effects, Visual Effects, Visual Effects Director
1957
Horror • Science Fiction
Visual Effects, Visual Effects Director, Story, Special Effects
1956
Drama • Fantasy • Horror • Romance
Special Effects, Visual Effects, Visual Effects Director
1956
Horror • Science Fiction
Story, Visual Effects Director, Special Effects, Visual Effects
1955
Adventure • Horror • Science Fiction
Special Effects, Visual Effects Director, Visual Effects
1955
Action • Horror • Science Fiction
Visual Effects Director, Special Effects, Visual Effects
1954
Crime • Drama • Horror • Mystery • Science Fiction • Thriller
Visual Effects, Director of Photography, Special Effects, Visual Effects Director
1954
Horror • Science Fiction • Thriller
Story, Visual Effects Director, Visual Effects, Special Effects
1949
Crime • Horror • Mystery • Science Fiction
Visual Effects, Special Effects, Visual Effects Director
1942
Drama • History • War
Special Effects, Visual Effects, Visual Effects Director
