 Prolific Japanese actor Akira Takarada died on March 14. He was 87. Toho Studios did not release the cause of death, he had been known to struggling with a chronic illness and he was in a wheelchair for his most recent fan greeting appearance.
Born in North Korea, he rose from the Toho New Face program to become one of the most recognizable men associated with the original Godzilla series. He appeared in six installments. Thanks to Tim and Gordon for their respective headses ups.  Longtime record producer Richard Podolor died March 9. He was 86.
Though, in his long career, he produced gold records for hitmaking bands like Three Dog Night, Iron Butterfly and Steppenwolf, he also had a few clunkers in his stable. One was Davy Jones and the Dolphins (no connection to Davy Jones of The Monkees), a band you can hear in the movie in episode 209- HELLCATS, and which Podolor arranged and produced. (His name is misspelled “Podlor” in the credits.) The band and Podolor eventually went their separate ways. Thanks to Tim for the heads up.  ESSEX, England — British actor, stage director and dramatist Ron Pember died here March 8. He was 87.
In a career stretching over thirty years, he was a character actor in British television productions in the 1970s-1980s. He may be best known for his six-year stint in the legal drama series “Rumpole of the Bailey.” MSTies will remember him as Jones in the movie in episode 1107- THE LAND THAT TIME FORGOT. Thanks to Gordon for the heads up. |
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All content posted on Satellite News is copyright © 2026 by Chris Cornell and Brian Henry, except where otherwise noted. This Date in MSTory is written and compiled by Steve Finley, Chris Cornell and Brian Henry. Copyright © 2026 All rights reserved. Please do not reproduce This Date in MSTory items in any form without express written permission from the authors. Items of MST3K news may be duplicated or reposted, as long as Satellite News is cited as the source. The views and opinions expressed herein are not necessarily those of Satellite of Love, LLC. No warranty is expressed or implied that the information given herein is completely accurate, and in fact this information can and will change at any time. So there. Mystery Science Theater 3000, its characters and situations are copyrights and trademarks of Satellite of Love, LLC. Banner image created by Larry Lee Moniz. |
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