in [The Mysterians] when the earth scientists balk at giving the Mysterians some land on earth, I ad-libbed, 'But you're trying to divide up the moon and sell it!'" He lobbied for the title role in Tomei Ningen (1954), but was forced by the studio to play the leading man. Eventually realizing their mistake, he was cast in the title role in The Human Vapor. He was originally cast to play the assassin Malness in Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster, but was unable to because he was filming Red Beard. In 1991, after a long absence from Toho monster films (his last was in the 1970 film Space Amoeba), Tsuchiya returned to the Godzilla series in Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah as Shindo, a World War II veteran who met a pre-mutated Godzilla during the battle in the Marshall Islands. Tsuchiya died of lung cancer on February 8, 2017, at the age of 89. Selected filmography Film Murder Suspect (殺人容疑者) (1952) The Tower of Himeyuri (ひめゆりの塔) (1953) Seven Samurai (七人の侍) (1954) - Rikichi Kimi shinitamo koto nakare (1954) Mitsuyu-sen (1954) Tomei Ningen (透明人間) (1954) - Reporter Komatsu Zoku tenka taihei (1955) Godzilla Raids Again (ゴジラの逆襲) (1955) - Tajima, Member of Osaka Defense Corps No Time for Tears (1955) - Maruyama Sanjusan go sha otonashi (1955) Shin kurama tengu daisanbu (1955) Natsume Sôseki no Sanshirô (1955) - Nonomiya I Live in Fear (生きものの記録) (1955) - Factory Worker After Fire Kyatsu o nigasuna (1956) - Shiraishi Migotona musume (1956) - Nobuo Takahara Tsuma no kokoro (1956) Throne of Blood (蜘蛛巣城) (1957) - Washizu samurai Ninjitsu (1957) Tokyo da you okkasan (1957) Salaryman shusse taikôki (1957) - Maruo Chieko-sho (1957) - KoYama Waga mune ni niji wa kiezu (1957) - Takeshi Shimada The Mysterians (地球防衛軍) (1957) - Leader of the Mysterians Kajikko (1958) Song for a Bride (花嫁三重奏) (1958) Rickshaw Man (1958) Anzukko (1958) - Ishima Bijo to ekitai ningen (1958) - Detective Taguchi Yatsu ga satsujinsha da (1958) Josei SOS (1958) Varan the Unbelievable (1958) - Military Officer Katsumoto The Hidden Fortress (1958) - Samurai on horse Kotan no kuchibue (1959) Oshaberi okusan (1959) Sensuikan I-57 kofuku sezu (1959) Battle in Outer Space (宇宙大戦争) (1959) - Iwomura Densô ningen (1960) - Det. Capt. Okazaki Hawai Middowei daikaikûsen: Taiheiyô no arashi (1960) Daigaku no sanzôkutachi (1960) - Detective Director Iwano Man Against Man (1960) - Detective Yoshizawa The Bad Sleep Well (1960) - ADA secretary