Bolaji Badejo
Bolaji Badejo (23 August 1953 – 22 December 1992) was a Nigerian visual artist[1] and actor who became known as one of Hollywood's most unlikely on-screen performers[2] in the role of the Alien in Ridley Scott's 1979 film Alien, his only film role.
Bolaji Badejo | |
|---|---|
 In costume as the Alien in 1979 | |
| Born | Bolaji Badejo 23 August 1953 Lagos, Nigeria |
| Died | 22 December 1992 (aged 39) Lagos, Nigeria |
| Cause of death | Sickle cell disease |
| Nationality | Nigerian |
| Occupation | Actor, visual artist |
| Years active | 1979–1992 |
| Known for | Performing in Alien (1979) |
| Height | 208 cm (6 ft 10 in) |
Career
Born in Lagos,[3] Badejo was of Yoruba descent[4] and was the son of the director general of the Nigerian Broadcasting Corporation.[2] He first studied in Nigeria, then in the United States before finally moving to London to specialize in graphic design.[2] He was eventually discovered in a Soho pub by a member of Scott's casting team.[5] Standing 6 ft 10 in tall,[2] he was chosen to play the part of the Alien due to his height and "very long legs".
Badejo never returned for the Alien sequels, which incorporated more puppetry and later animation alongside suit performers; the original was his only film credit. His family revealed that he returned to Nigeria in 1980 and began running his own art gallery in 1983.[2] He died from sickle cell anaemia at the age of 39.[6]
See also
References
- Staff (7 March 2016). "Bolaji Badejo, dos metros y 18 centímetros de extrema delgadez dentro de Alien". Hoy Cinema.
- Page, Thomas (7 March 2016). "Bolaji Badejo: The Nigerian giant who played 'Alien'". CNN. Retrieved 28 November 2018.
- "Top-5 Celebrities Who Were Born In Nigeria". Naij.
- Chare, Nicholas (2017). After Francis Bacon: Synaesthesia and Sex in Paint. Oxon: Routledge. p. 164. ISBN 9781409411703.
- Keegan, Rebecca (15 December 2009). The Futurist: The Life and Films of James Cameron. Crown/Archetype. ISBN 9780307460332.
- "Who played Alien's original Xenomorph? Meet the men behind film's most terrifying monsters". web.archive.org. 2 November 2020. Retrieved 4 May 2022.