Happy belated birthday, Godzilla actor Katsuhiko Sasaki!

I just found out yesterday that prolific and handsome Japanese actor Katsuhiko Sasaki celebrated his birthday the day before that, December 24.  He was born Christmas Eve in 1944 in Tokyo, Japan.  One of our cable channels hosted a Godzilla marathon yesterday and I got to see at least part of one, Godzilla vs Megalon.  I also got to see the beginning of the Terror of Mechagodzilla and recognized the same actor. 

Katsuhiko Sasaki has been in four Godzilla films, including the two mentioned above and Godzilla vs Biollante and Godzilla vs King Ghidorah.   

"Godzilla vs Megalon" released 1973

Godzilla vs Megalon, released March 17, 1973 in Japan, teamed up Godzilla with robot Jet Jaguar to defeat Megalon, a beetle-type monster with the Chrysler building as arms sent from the undersea nation of Seatopia.

It wasn't released in the U.S. until 1976, when a small distribution company decided to cash in on  the King Kong craze (the movie with Jeff Bridges and Jessica Lange had just been released).  The U.S. cover even had Godzilla and Megalon fighting on top of the World Trade Center.