Akihiko Hirata was a Japanese film actor, known for his remarkable performances in numerous movies, including the Hiroshi Inagaki's Samurai trilogy. He was born as Akihiko Onoda on December 16, 1927 in Seoul, Korea. Hirata made his career iconic with his works in the Japanese kaiju genre, particularly films such as King Kong vs. Godzilla, The Mysterians, Terror of Mechagodzilla, and Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla. He is famously recognized for his role as Dr. Daisuke Serizawa, a brilliant but disturbed young scientist in the original 'Godzilla' movie released in 1954. In 1953, Hirata joined Toho under the studio's 'New Face' program. This exposure led to his casting in Godzilla and soon thereafter, his from snarling villains to government officials earned him immense popularity. Hirata's film debut was in 1953 in 'The Last Embrace', and he continued to star in over 20 other sci-fi fantasy films for Toho, including The H-Man, Gorath, and Prophecies of Nostradamus. Hirata continued his association with the kaiju genre until his death on July 25, 1984, following a prolonged battle with lung cancer. His final film appearance was in 'Sayonara Jupiter' in 1984.