Early life Tanaka was born on April 26, 1910, in
Kashiwara,
Osaka. As a child, he would often walk miles to the nearest theater to watch
silent adventure and ninja films in the afternoons. At the age of 14, Tanaka saw the silent Western film
The Covered Wagon and was so enamored by its cinematography that it remained his all-time favorite film. In his youth, Tanaka was once disowned by his parents because he focused more on his interests, films and acting, than on his studies. Tanaka studied economics at
Kansai University, graduating in 1940.
Career Tanaka entered the Japanese film industry in 1940, joining the film studio Taiho Eiga. The following year, Tanaka moved to
Toho after it merged with Taiho Eiga and began his career as a producer under . After four years with the company, he began producing his own films, and one of his first efforts, '''', was released in 1945. Tanaka left Toho in 1947 during the
Toho strikes; he would return to the company in 1952. In 1954 Tanaka started on production of the war movie , to be directed by
Senkichi Taniguchi, co-produced with the Indonesian studio
Perfini, and filmed in
Jakarta. The project was cancelled when the Indonesian government refused to grant visas to the Japanese filmmakers. On the flight back to Japan from Jakarta, Tanaka wrote the outline for a new film. Inspired by
King Kong, which had been re-released in Japan in 1952, as well as by
The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms and the recent
Daigo Fukuryū Maru incident, Tanaka wrote a
daikaiju film, working title . Tanaka pitched the project to Iwao Mori, who approved, and work began on
Godzilla. Tanaka selected
Ishirō Honda to direct
Godzilla; the two had recently collaborated on
Farewell Rabaul and Senkichi Taniguchi, Tanaka's first choice, had refused the job. , a prominent detective and science fiction author, provided the
treatment for
Godzilla at Tanaka's request, Tanaka being a fan of Kayama's. Tanaka had worked with special effects director
Eiji Tsuburaya on several earlier films; Tsuburaya was attached to
Godzilla from the beginning, as his determination of the feasibility of the project was a condition for its approval.
Godzilla would spawn a series of sequels, adding up to 38 films as of March 29, 2024. Thirty-three movies have been produced by Toho, and five by the American studios
TriStar Pictures and
Legendary Pictures. He often worked with the other three members of the Godzilla team: Honda, Tsuburaya, and composer
Akira Ifukube, to complete such works as
The Mysterians (1957) and
Matango (1963). he also creates manipulative
aliens, causing problems for the Earth, for the purpose of
political, according to the tendencies of his monster films. Tanaka also created the space-monster
King Ghidorah and the innocent
Minilla.
Akira Kurosawa started the Kurosawa Production Company in 1959, with Toho holding a majority stake, and closed it in 1966; during this period, Tanaka would produce all five films directed by Kurosawa:
The Bad Sleep Well,
Yojimbo,
Sanjuro,
High and Low, and
Red Beard. Tanaka would later reunite with Kurosawa to produce
Kagemusha (1980), which was nominated for the
Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film and won the
Palme d'Or at
Cannes. Toho entered into a similar arrangement with actor
Toshiro Mifune and Mifune Productions in 1962, with Tanaka assisting in the operation of the company. Tanaka produced several successful films with Mifune Productions, including
Legacy of the 500,000,
Samurai Assassin, and ''''. In 1971 Tanaka became President of the newly formed , a Toho subsidiary that would create
special effects for the parent company. In 1975 he became President and CEO of
Toho Pictures. In 1978 Toho Eizo merged with
Tokyo Eiga, a Toho affiliate; Tanaka would step down as President and become Chairman of the merged company. In 1988 Toho Eizo merged with Toho Bijutsu, another Toho subsidiary, to form Toho Eizo Bijutsu; Tanaka would step down as Chairman of Toho Eizo. In 1989 Tanaka became Chairman and CEO of Toho Pictures. In 1995 Tanaka retired from his official duties and became an advisor to Toho Pictures. He is credited for the "original story" in
Godzilla 1985. Tanaka oversaw the production of
Mitsubishi's pavilion at several
expos, including the
Osaka Expo,
Expo '75 in
Okinawa, and
Expo '85 in
Tsukuba.
Personal life In 1950, Tanaka married 23-year-old actress
Chieko Nakakita, with whom he later had three sons ==Godzilla==