Ishirō Honda

Born in Yamagata Prefecture in 1911, Honda graduated from Nihon University College of Art before joining P.C.L. (now TOHO). He worked with Eiji Tsuburaya, directing special effect films, including Godzilla (1954), first of the blockbuster series, Mothra (1961), and Invasion of Astro-Monster (1965), establishing the monster film genre and creating a boom. He's well known internationally because many of his films have been released overseas.