It wasn't just his height, but he really dedicated himself to learning how to move in such a manner as to convince us that the alien was real and not a human in a suit.
His dedication to the role made it what it was. It really shone through. Sadly, he passed away about 13 years later from Sickle Cell Anemia I'm at least grateful that he got to see how much praise and success his role brought.
This proves why Alien will always be better than its sequels. The alien itself is slow and menacing and calculated. Xenomorphs in all the other films and adaptations are too fast and behave more like frenzied cheetahs or something rather than an intelligent hunter, which to me takes away the fright factor. If an alien is fast and ferocious it can literally be replaced by any other large predator (ie a bear, a shark, a tiger etc). But if you have a slow, eerie, fluid alien that stalks and hunts in the shadows, it’s far more intimidating.
@gregnowachek hello anyway Alien (1979) directed by Ridley Scott and The Thing (1982) directed by John Carpenter they are both the greatest sci-fi horror movies ever created as well:).
I looked up who was the Alien when the internet first took off some time around the 80's. I discovered it was this tall guy - Bolaji Badejo really the MAJOR unsung hero of the movie. First I thought it was CGI but later realised it was a talented character performer! Great video thanks.
If you were there during the 80's you would know that CGI of that caliber was not a thing. It especially was not a thing in 1979. 1985 was the first use of a photorealistic CGI character in the Young Sherlock Holmes. Bolaji was definitely the unsung hero of Alien :) I honestly thought he went on to do other movies as a suit performer. He added a very creepy alien element to the Xenomorph. I dont think it would be close to the same movie if they hired another actor :)
It is really heartwarming to read all the comments here. Especially because the film would not have had such an impact without the huge efforts of Bolaji Badejo.
I bet 70s was the only era where masterpiece like "Alien" could have been possible 70s was a meticulous age unmatched with anything The art The Sound, The Cast, The Fashion, The Music, The Everything! . These days modern movies try to copy the raw industrial/Derelict feel but nothing comes close. I am not saying just for being a fan seriously you can experience it yourself - The very moment you hear the archaic opening sound of "Alien" you know !. The cast story is awesome I wish had Bolaji Badejo reprised his roles in sequels that would have been great. I am hurt on learning the news of his passing away in 1993 due to Sickle cell disease 😢. Thanks for letting us discover this unsung hero
It was that sneaking around in those slowmotion movements that freaked me out the move. That Alien was unpredictably sneaky and could be anywhere around you. You could feel its presence even without seeing it. All thanks to those perfectly done movements we could see.
Never heard, let alone knew of this. Thanks for bringing this to light. People like this truly are the unsung heroes (with some exceptions like Doug Jones and Tom Woodruff)
Kevin Peter Hall and Bolaji Badejo two giants both literally and figuratively who brought the two most iconic sci-fi creatures to life creating a new genre. Both put all into this giving all thrills, chills and spills as in spilling our drink at the jump scares. Thanks to you both. Truly giants among men.
Two other alien suit actors were Carl Toop and Eddie Powell. While filming the 1986 sequel, Eddie was in his late 50s. I guess you're never to old to be a monster. I think it would be cool if all the actors who ever played an alien in the films (mostly in the second movie) would come forward and talk about their experience playing one of the most celebrated creatures in movie history. I also wonder how did the alien costumes of "Aliens" differ from the one worn by Bolaiji in "Alien."
I'm close friends with Eddie Powel's grandson. his role in the film was actually fairly extensive, Bolaiji struggled alot to move around in the suit, so basically he was the actor in most of the static shots, but moving shots were done using Eddie as he was much stronger and able to drag the suit and the tail along in wider shots. Although he is recognised as the alien on imdb, he is to this day sadly uncredited for his role.
Definitely in my top five movies of all time. He made the part looks so real and is truly missed. Thank you for sharing this information about what he went through to make it happen.
You wonder why actors want to show their face and are so reluctant to leave helmets/masks on, the you see how little recognition this guy got and it makes more sense.
I'd heard that the man in the Xenomorph suit in 1979's _Alien_ was a Missing Person, like on the official Missing Persons' List and all. But then again I hear a lot of things, both in and out of cyberspace. So good that he's not missing and doing okay, so you say hehehehe
The most underrated actor in Hollywood history. If he didn't nail this character, if he didn't make this believable that it was an actual alien and not just a guy in a suit, NONE of this works. Because of him we got better 'suit-actors' in Predator and Any Serkis. So many owe a debt of gratitude to how this guy took a rubber suit and made it the most terrifying thing in cinema!
He was actually discovered in The Queens Head pub in Shepperton near the studio . I know this because my father was there at the time and working on the film 🙄
@drewcrew2101 hello my friend hello anyway it's cool Alien (1979) is your favorite sci-fi horror movie anyway my two favorite movies of all time are Jaws (1975) and Alien (1979) and it's because both of these movies show less of the monster in both of these amazing movies and I believe that's what makes both Jaws (1975) and Alien (1979) the most epic movies ever created as well:).
I’m privileged to know the man well whom worked very hard on that suit and effects , I’ve also seen the photos he took, brilliant work from a very talented man, and the actor whom wore the suit.
Some great behind the scenes imagery and information, but I don't understand what was wrong with all the other contenders, nor how the casting director magically knew that this guy in the pub would resolve the undefined problem. P.S. There's a small Dr Who channel largely dedicated to interviewing costume actors and other "unsung" performers - unfortunately, I don't recall the name, but I'll try and link it here later.
It also looks like they had another version thats similar to the one in the theatrical version but you can clearly see a skull of some kind. Its def not the first design like the one you're talking about. I think its the one in the film but they didnt paint it all black yet but im not completely sure. The first design is pretty cool but it def looks humanish so i can see why they changed to make it more umm "alien".
When I'm scared, I remember things like this. I remember as a child, seeing a Veggie Tales episode where Junior Asparagus saw a scary movie on TV, and couldn't sleep; but then via movie magic got to visit the monster's actor, a young man from Toledo who wasn't very scary at all in reality. We enjoy being scared yes, but when I can't sleep, it helps to remember that the most terrifying and abstract fears were made by good and well-meaning people for my entertainment. 🙂😴
I can't give a thumbs up because I would be number 66x! Ironic that this video is about the stuff of nightmares . Big up to the man, who made the role his own and gave years excitement and fear in equal measure.
Because he was a Skinny tall guy, he fitted Giger's vision. It's also why it didn't appear as someone in a suit. Only towards the end you see the Alien blasted out of the ship, and it looked like a guy in a suit being tossed around. The two best designs ever are the original Alien and The Jungle Hunter Predator!
alien was so awesome but i wish bretts death would have been done differently, it never made sense that the alien could float up like a balloon while holding brett
My idea for an Alien5 movie is as follows: It takes place after alien4 and takes places on an earth in ruins. TheRipleyClone has transformed into an entity that is producing eggs,and a lot of humans are affected,and a war breaks out.They have to use a nuke on the swarms of xenomorphs and decidedes to travel to the planet where they think the xenomorphs orginate from.There they find there are multiple forms of xenomorphs.They manages to form a clone of a xenomorph that is able to communicate with the the help of a microship surgerized into its brain. After this a peace is established. But as allways Weyland-Yutani has spies that want the xenomorph for their biological weapon program. And it is a surprice who the spy is. And that Weyland-Yutami has a lab on a spacestation not far from the xenomorph planet. Where they finds forms of xenomorphs that noone has seen before. And that's makes a cliffhanger for a possible Alien6 movie ?
The fact that I've never heard of this guy is further proof that suit acting is one of the most underappreciated jobs in cinema. Great work!
And the other stunt workers too.
Big facts
That’s most likely not the reason as to why he killed himself.
@@GiganFTW bruh
i can only imagine how underpaid he was.
It wasn't just his height, but he really dedicated himself to learning how to move in such a manner as to convince us that the alien was real and not a human in a suit.
They said he had to spend time in the suit just getting used to the weight.
The fact that I never really thought about a guy in a suit really says something.
That's why they wanted him crab walking, to prove it wasn't a human in a suit.
That was literally covered here
@@lunamaria1048 Evening, Stockton. Is it?
His dedication to the role made it what it was. It really shone through.
Sadly, he passed away about 13 years later from Sickle Cell Anemia
I'm at least grateful that he got to see how much praise and success his role brought.
this is cool and thanks for letting the millions of Alien fans know about him
If you're a real fan of Alien, you'd already know.
This proves why Alien will always be better than its sequels. The alien itself is slow and menacing and calculated. Xenomorphs in all the other films and adaptations are too fast and behave more like frenzied cheetahs or something rather than an intelligent hunter, which to me takes away the fright factor. If an alien is fast and ferocious it can literally be replaced by any other large predator (ie a bear, a shark, a tiger etc). But if you have a slow, eerie, fluid alien that stalks and hunts in the shadows, it’s far more intimidating.
For me too. IMO this shift in alien behavior is reason why alien is like franchise in ruins nowadays. Same go for predator.
@@petervlcko4858 Aliens is a great film and sequel but I completely agree and still hold the original as the best!
Alien Covenant had bits of it towards the end
But if you're a gamer then Alien Isolation nails the original feel
@@tyskbulle HELL YESS!!
@gregnowachek hello anyway Alien (1979) directed by Ridley Scott and The Thing (1982) directed by John Carpenter they are both the greatest sci-fi horror movies ever created as well:).
I looked up who was the Alien when the internet first took off some time around the 80's. I discovered it was this tall guy - Bolaji Badejo really the MAJOR unsung hero of the movie. First I thought it was CGI but later realised it was a talented character performer! Great video thanks.
If you were there during the 80's you would know that CGI of that caliber was not a thing. It especially was not a thing in 1979. 1985 was the first use of a photorealistic CGI character in the Young Sherlock Holmes.
Bolaji was definitely the unsung hero of Alien :) I honestly thought he went on to do other movies as a suit performer. He added a very creepy alien element to the Xenomorph. I dont think it would be close to the same movie if they hired another actor :)
Yeah, 70s CGI was basically like: th-cam.com/video/fiShX2pTz9A/w-d-xo.html
It is really heartwarming to read all the comments here. Especially because the film would not have had such an impact without the huge efforts of Bolaji Badejo.
You're absolutely correct. The film would've flopped if the Alien didn't seem REAL!
It is heartbreaking that this is such a little known facet of this iconic film.
This explains why real is so much scarier than cgi will ever be
Let us thank, as we should, Bolaji Badejo... As well as another, equally talented: Kevin Peter Hall.
Peter hall from predator.
I bet 70s was the only era where masterpiece like "Alien" could have been possible 70s was a meticulous age unmatched with anything The art The Sound, The Cast, The Fashion, The Music, The Everything! . These days modern movies try to copy the raw industrial/Derelict feel but nothing comes close. I am not saying just for being a fan seriously you can experience it yourself - The very moment you hear the archaic opening sound of "Alien" you know !. The cast story is awesome I wish had Bolaji Badejo reprised his roles in sequels that would have been great. I am hurt on learning the news of his passing away in 1993 due to Sickle cell disease 😢. Thanks for letting us discover this unsung hero
It was that sneaking around in those slowmotion movements that freaked me out the move.
That Alien was unpredictably sneaky and could be anywhere around you.
You could feel its presence even without seeing it.
All thanks to those perfectly done movements we could see.
Never heard, let alone knew of this. Thanks for bringing this to light. People like this truly are the unsung heroes (with some exceptions like Doug Jones and Tom Woodruff)
Absolutely fascinating, probably the best shot monster costume ever. Great to know the suit actor is a g too
This was one of my favorite videos you've uploaded... Time to watch it again!!!
Jest imagine your jest hangin’ out with the boys then a random guy walks up to you and says “ hey do you want to be in a movie as a alien?”
Kevin Peter Hall and Bolaji Badejo two giants both literally and figuratively who brought the two most iconic sci-fi creatures to life creating a new genre. Both put all into this giving all thrills, chills and spills as in spilling our drink at the jump scares. Thanks to you both. Truly giants among men.
Big Chap is a great and excellent alien, He is the real star in Alien 1979.
Two other alien suit actors were Carl Toop and Eddie Powell. While filming the 1986 sequel, Eddie was in his late 50s. I guess you're never to old to be a monster. I think it would be cool if all the actors who ever played an alien in the films (mostly in the second movie) would come forward and talk about their experience playing one of the most celebrated creatures in movie history. I also wonder how did the alien costumes of "Aliens" differ from the one worn by Bolaiji in "Alien."
That would be cool, but sadly Bolaji died in 1992 😔
He's dead, mate.
I'm close friends with Eddie Powel's grandson. his role in the film was actually fairly extensive, Bolaiji struggled alot to move around in the suit, so basically he was the actor in most of the static shots, but moving shots were done using Eddie as he was much stronger and able to drag the suit and the tail along in wider shots. Although he is recognised as the alien on imdb, he is to this day sadly uncredited for his role.
Eddie Powell was in the alien suit when it's dangling from the escape shuttle. I think that's the only time it looks more like a man in a rubber suit.
@@stuboyd1194 I noticed that when watching the movie today. Appeared bulkier and shorter
Man you did this guy right by making this video. Great job!
Bolaji Badejo and Kelvin Peter Hall, legends behind 2 iconic cinema creatures.
Thank you so much for this. I saw his name in the credits, but to find out who Bolaji is wonderful.
Definitely in my top five movies of all time. He made the part looks so real and is truly missed. Thank you for sharing this information about what he went through to make it happen.
This is amazing story. Iconic performance. I'm so grateful.
Giger is clearly a genius artist, but holy cow that man's subconscious is a minefield.
Unfortunately, Bolaji badejo died in 1992 at the age of 39 after a brief illness from sickle cell anaemia.
Sad. Unsung hero from our great Naija (Nigeria)
You wonder why actors want to show their face and are so reluctant to leave helmets/masks on, the you see how little recognition this guy got and it makes more sense.
This was so cool to learn about!
I knew of the guy but this has been fantastic. Keep up the great work.
R.I.P Big Chap
Very underrated video with great production, especially for a smaller channel
Bruh where did you go. It's been a year and I wanna see the rest of alien week. Damn.
I'd heard that the man in the Xenomorph suit in 1979's _Alien_ was a Missing Person, like on the official Missing Persons' List and all. But then again I hear a lot of things, both in and out of cyberspace.
So good that he's not missing and doing okay, so you say hehehehe
One of the better videos posted on You Tube..
Thank you for the posting..!
Just realized that you've subscribed to me. I really enjoy your videos and I'm quite honored.
At 1:50 he looks like a young Michael Jackson.
The most underrated actor in Hollywood history. If he didn't nail this character, if he didn't make this believable that it was an actual alien and not just a guy in a suit, NONE of this works. Because of him we got better 'suit-actors' in Predator and Any Serkis. So many owe a debt of gratitude to how this guy took a rubber suit and made it the most terrifying thing in cinema!
Thanx so much for this well presented and produced video.
Fantastic stuff keep up the great work.
Respect and love from England UK.
Know who I'm talking about for Black History month next February Thank you
Great video; hats off too to the late Lock Martin, who played Gort in the 1951 version of The Day the Earth Stood Still!
He was actually discovered in The Queens Head pub in Shepperton near the studio . I know this because my father was there at the time and working on the film 🙄
My favorite movie of all time. I watched it at 10 years old on HBO late night. I haven't been the same since
@drewcrew2101 hello my friend hello anyway it's cool Alien (1979) is your favorite sci-fi horror movie anyway my two favorite movies of all time are Jaws (1975) and Alien (1979) and it's because both of these movies show less of the monster in both of these amazing movies and I believe that's what makes both Jaws (1975) and Alien (1979) the most epic movies ever created as well:).
That man had the face of a top model! That last shot is AMAZING
I’m privileged to know the man well whom worked very hard on that suit and effects , I’ve also seen the photos he took, brilliant work from a very talented man, and the actor whom wore the suit.
Hats off! Huge respect!
I cannot believe I'm just seeing this now, it funny how we don't look at the end credit of movies. wow.
he knocked it out of the park! even the game alien 👽 isolation reminds me of him even though it's not… my favorite scene was with Brett and Dallas
Badejo did such a great job as the alien, the design of the alien think is the best design in a horror movie history.
If you haven’t already, could you make a video about the actor behind R2-D2?
A great man and a great video!
You deserve millions subscribers.
The unsung hero of Alien like keven Peter hall was in predator 1 & 2
It's unfortunate that he died so early. He would've been 70 this year.
Some great behind the scenes imagery and information, but I don't understand what was wrong with all the other contenders, nor how the casting director magically knew that this guy in the pub would resolve the undefined problem.
P.S. There's a small Dr Who channel largely dedicated to interviewing costume actors and other "unsung" performers - unfortunately, I don't recall the name, but I'll try and link it here later.
Following this comment for the link :)
Haha same, it must've been more than a hunch. Though, I'm sure the extremely slim build and 6 ft 10 height made him a great contender by default.
@@laracroftvideos the Chewbacca guy was 7’2 so I think it was more than his height
I love the early design of xenomorph.. it has almost visible eye socket..
It also looks like they had another version thats similar to the one in the theatrical version but you can clearly see a skull of some kind. Its def not the first design like the one you're talking about. I think its the one in the film but they didnt paint it all black yet but im not completely sure. The first design is pretty cool but it def looks humanish so i can see why they changed to make it more umm "alien".
Your videos are so good!
Born Bolaji Badejo
23 August 1953
Lagos, Nigeria
Died 22 December 1992
(aged 39)
Lagos, Nigeria
Man where did you go make more videos.that Jurassic park series was great make something like tha
I miss this dude
dude is a legend in film history.
When I'm scared, I remember things like this.
I remember as a child, seeing a Veggie Tales episode where Junior Asparagus saw a scary movie on TV, and couldn't sleep; but then via movie magic got to visit the monster's actor, a young man from Toledo who wasn't very scary at all in reality.
We enjoy being scared yes, but when I can't sleep, it helps to remember that the most terrifying and abstract fears were made by good and well-meaning people for my entertainment. 🙂😴
Wow! What legacy!!
Hope he was paid well
I can't give a thumbs up because I would be number 66x! Ironic that this video is about the stuff of nightmares . Big up to the man, who made the role his own and gave years excitement and fear in equal measure.
His performance, made it look real.
I wish he saw this video
such a good actor that you only view him as the alien
Amazing young man!
He was great as the alien a great science fictIon horror classic
I always wondered why they never interviewed him.
I bet id make a good one. 6.5 thinish build. Id love to try that thing on
He did a lovely job
When I first started exploring Alien (in the early '90s), I remember the first thing I wanted to know about, was the guy in the suit.
When you discover a channel but their last video is 1 year old.
Because he was a Skinny tall guy, he fitted Giger's vision. It's also why it didn't appear as someone in a suit. Only towards the end you see the Alien blasted out of the ship, and it looked like a guy in a suit being tossed around. The two best designs ever are the original Alien and The Jungle Hunter Predator!
Rest in peace, 12/22/92
What's the music????
alien was so awesome but i wish bretts death would have been done differently, it never made sense that the alien could float up like a balloon while holding brett
What a legend
Nice content 👍
Both first Alien and Predator actors passed away long time ago
Bro you good haven't hread from you in a while
Great video, but Alien week doesn't seem to have come back! Any chances of a return to TH-cam? Best regards
How come he wasnt in the sequel?
@empirezz2728 he died in 1992 of sickle cell anemia unfortunately.
He's a legend!
Alien, Alien 3 (Special Edition), Predator. The greatest movie of all time. With Christ Mr Badejo.
@leszekhalama1173 cool and The Thing (1982) directed by John Carpenter as well:).
Great video
I don't think anyone has been successful contacting him since he went back to Nigeria. He's fallen off the map.
Hey man where'd you go? Come back we miss you and your content😥
My man!
My idea for an Alien5 movie is as follows:
It takes place after alien4 and takes places on an earth in ruins.
TheRipleyClone has transformed into an entity that is producing eggs,and a lot of humans are affected,and
a war breaks out.They have to use a nuke on the swarms of xenomorphs and decidedes to travel
to the planet where they think the xenomorphs orginate from.There they find there are multiple
forms of xenomorphs.They manages to form a clone of a xenomorph that is able to communicate with the the help of a microship surgerized into its brain.
After this a peace is established.
But as allways Weyland-Yutani has spies that want the xenomorph for their biological weapon program.
And it is a surprice who the spy is. And that Weyland-Yutami has a lab on a spacestation not far from the xenomorph
planet. Where they finds forms of xenomorphs that noone has seen before.
And that's makes a cliffhanger for a possible Alien6 movie ?
Does anyone know the name of the backing track please?
I'm going down the pub see if I can get a part in the next blockbuster 😁
Hopefully he was well paid , unsung actors sometimes don't get the credit or financial reward they deserve.
Holy shit a well made video
bravo Badejo,
RIP
What is the music you used
Wait what happened to the original video????
I bet it was the darn copyright ©
Why was I told it was Jean Claude God damn