Bolaji Badejo
Bolaji Badejo (born 23 August 1953, Lagos[1] – died 22 December 1992, Nigeria) was a Nigerian visual artist[2] and actor who became known as one of Hollywood's most unlikely on-screen performers[3] in the role of the Alien in Ridley Scott's 1979 film Alien, his only film role. He died from sickle cell anaemia at the age of 39.[4]
Bolaji Badejo | |
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In costume as the Alien | |
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) |
Badejo was of Yoruba descent[5] and was the son of the director general of the Nigerian Broadcasting Corporation.[3] He first studied in Nigeria, then in the United States before finally moving to London to specialize in graphic design.[3] He was eventually discovered in a Soho pub by a member of Scott's casting team.[6] He was chosen to play the part of the Alien due to his "incredibly tall" height and "very long legs". He was 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) tall.[3]
Badejo never returned for the Alien sequels, which used puppetry and later animation instead of 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.[3]
Filmography
Title | Year | Role |
---|---|---|
Alien | 1979 | Alien |
References
- "Top-5 Celebrities Who Were Born In Nigeria". Naij.
- 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.
- "Meet the man behind Alien's Xenomorph: photos show the actors who played movie monsters". The Telegraph. 18 May 2016.
- Chare, Nicholas (2017). After Francis Bacon: Synaesthesia and Sex in Paint. Oxon: Routledge. p. 164. ISBN 9781409411703.
- Keegan, Rebecca (2009-12-15). The Futurist: The Life and Films of James Cameron. Crown/Archetype. ISBN 9780307460332.