Jun Fukuda

Director & actor · born 17 February 1923 · Manshu, Korea

Jun Fukuda was a Japanese film director, screenwriter and producer. Fukuda joined Toho in 1946 and ventured into the realm of assistant director, being taken under the wing by directors like Hiroshi Inagaki. By 1959, Fukuda began a career as a full-fledged director, his early work slanted more toward mystery, but then expand into more comedic work by the mid-1960s, such as the spy spoof Iron Finger (1965). He also wrote the screenplay for the unproduced The Invisible Man vs. the Human Torch. Fukuda would eventually be tasked to direct a Godzilla movie, Ebirah, Horror of the Deep (1966). Fukuda would go on to direct various entries in Toho's popular Young Guy series and Konto 55, however he would be best known for his Godzilla work, becoming the "go to" director for special effects productions after Ishirō Honda. Fukuda famously harbored a harsh view of his work in the Godzilla series saying, "The monsters became the stars, and the human characters were put into the background." and "I give all of my Godzilla films a minus score." Despite the distain he felt towards his work, he was pleasantly surprised to find fans who enjoyed his film and who sent him well wishing cards near the end of his life.

Where to start: Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla (1974).