Tomoko Umeda in February 2024. Photo © Brett Homenick. Tomoko Umeda may be known to Western tokusatsu fans for her leading role as Machiko Shima in Godzilla vs. Gigan (1972), but she made her mark on television in Japan in the late 1960s with her roles in various Toho-produced TV programs in the studio's long-running … Continue reading FOREVER YOUNG! Actress Tomoko Umeda on ‘Godzilla vs. Gigan’ and Japan’s ‘Youth’ TV Shows of the 1960s!
Tetsuro Tamba
LAND OF THE RISING STARR! Actor Mike Starr on Making ‘The Bushido Blade’ in Japan!
Mike Starr in April 2025. Photo © Brett Homenick. Rankin/Bass Productions made several live-action films with Japanese director Tsugunobu "Tom" Kotani during the 1970s, and The Bushido Blade (1981) tends to be the most obscure of these productions. Filmed in 1978, The Bushido Blade predates the production of Shogun (1980) but only saw release in … Continue reading LAND OF THE RISING STARR! Actor Mike Starr on Making ‘The Bushido Blade’ in Japan!
THE AUSTRALIAN IN JAPAN WHO STOOD UP TO GODZILLA AND THE YAKUZA! Nigel Reid on Playing a Russian Submarine Officer in ‘Godzilla 1985’ and Beyond!
Nigel Reid with a pamphlet for Godzilla 1985 (1984) in November 2023. Photo © Brett Homenick. Aussie Nigel Reid never dreamed that he would end up in Japan as an actor, performing in a Godzilla movie in front of worldwide audiences, but that's exactly how things worked out. Mr. Reid played the lieutenant commander of … Continue reading THE AUSTRALIAN IN JAPAN WHO STOOD UP TO GODZILLA AND THE YAKUZA! Nigel Reid on Playing a Russian Submarine Officer in ‘Godzilla 1985’ and Beyond!
SHIP COMMANDER SPEAKS! Kent Gilbert Talks ‘Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah’!
Kent Gilbert, a native of the Mountain West, was born in Pocatello, Idaho, and grew up in Orem, Utah. He went on to study at Brigham Young University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree, an MBA, and a law degree. While working as a lawyer in Tokyo, he obtained acting jobs in commercials and television … Continue reading SHIP COMMANDER SPEAKS! Kent Gilbert Talks ‘Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah’!
Vantage Point Interviews 