Tomoyuki Tanaka

Tanaka produced more than 200 films and is best known as the creator of Godzilla, the towering embodiment of post-World War II anxiety. The classic Godzilla, King of the Monsters (1954; released in the U.S. in 1956) would be followed by 21 films starring the gargantuan lizard. In addition to other sci-fi thrillers (such as Attack of the Mushroom People, 1963, and King Kong vs. Frankenstein, 1962), Tanaka produced films directed by the acclaimed Akira Kurosawa; their film Kagemusha (1980) was nominated for a Best Foreign Film Oscar and took the Palme d'Or at Cannes.