Today’s news about Japanese cinema is depressing. At the age of 88, Sadao Iizuka passed away. His optical effects work was included in renowned tokusatsu films including Godzilla and Ultraman.
Pneumonia was Iizuka’s cause of death. Iizuka, a 1934 Tokyo native, began working on effects for Toho with the 1954 release of the first Godzilla.
He developed Toho’s optical effects work under the guidance of special effects guru Eiji Tsuburaya, producing well-known effects including Godzilla’s atomic breath and King Ghidorah’s gravity rays.
He also contributed to TV episodes like Ultraman, where he developed the infamous Specium Beam used by the lead character (the video below shows how it was done).
He founded the special effects business Den Film Effects in 1972, which performed effects work for Toho, Tsuburaya, and other film studios.
Sadao Iizuka Obituary, Net Worth At Death
He had a net worth of about $1-5 million dollars during his lifetime. However, his net worth at the time of his passing is under review.