The formidable Godzilla has taken the world by storm for over 60 years, and now he’s back to fight King Kong. This special edition of LIFE explores the origins of the king of monsters, a detailed timeline of his cinematic appearances, and a first look at his long awaited face off with King Kong.
LIFE: Godzilla
LIFE Bookazines
Run! It’s Godzilla • How a knockoff Japanese science fiction–horror movie spawned a monster that conquered the world—and is still on a roll (or a rampage) six decades later
The Birth of the Monster • 1954
Godzilla’s Many Lives • 1955–1995
Godzilla Goes to Hollywood • 1998–2021
Godzilla Filmography
Just One More • Gilda Radner, in her impersonation of TV interviewer Barbara Walters, sat down with John Belushi as Godzilla on a 1977 episode of Saturday Night Live.