Godzilla brings terror to Tokyo. The Kobal Collection. Reproduced by permission.

Brought to life by atomic radiation, the giant fire-breathing lizard known as Godzilla has been terrifying movie audiences since the 1950s. The Japanese character's fame spread around the world as Godzilla films were dubbed into many languages. Perhaps only King Kong (see entry under 1930s—Film and Theater in volume 2) exceeds Godzilla in popularity among gigantic movie monsters.

Godzilla is called Gojira in his native Japan, where he first appeared in a 1954 feature. Created by filmmakers at Toho Studios, including director Ishiro Honda (1911–1993), Godzilla was meant to symbolize Japanese fears of nuclear devastation following their experience in World War II (1939–45). The original film, in which the crazed atomic lizard demolishes the city of Tokyo, struck a chord with Japanese audiences and earned more than $7 million at the box office. In 1956, the film was released in the United...