Bolaji Badejo

Bolaji Badejo
Badejo partially in costume on the set of Alien in 1979
Born(1953-08-23)23 August 1953
Lagos, British Nigeria
Died22 December 1992(1992-12-22) (aged 39)
Lagos, Nigeria
Cause of deathSickle cell disease
NationalityNigerian
Occupations
  • Actor
  • visual artist
Years active1979
Known forAlien (1979)
Height208 cm (6 ft 10 in)

Bolaji Badejo (Listenⓘ) (23 August 1953 – 22 December 1992) was a Nigerian visual artist[1] and actor. He was known for playing the Alien in Ridley Scott's 1979 film Alien.[2] He was 6 feet 10 inches (208 cm) tall,[2] a height which convinced Scott to cast him in the role. It is his sole acting credit.

Life and career

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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 studied in Ethiopia, then in the United States before finally moving to London to specialize in graphic design.[2]

Badejo was discovered in a Soho pub by a member of director Ridley Scott's casting team,[5] who had been searching for a candidate to play the titular creature in his science fiction horror film Alien. Standing at 6 ft 10 inches in height,[2] he was chosen to play the part due to his height and "very long legs".[6][7] He was described as "mild-mannered" and "withdrawn" on set, and special effects supervisor Nick Allder said "To have been the center of attraction… it was a bit of a shock to him."[8][9] Alien was released in 1979 to significant critical and commercial success,[10][11][12] and Screen Rant wrote in a retrospective review that he "effectively brought the Xenomorph to life ... Badejo certainly helped make the creature one of the most recognizable monsters in horror."[13]

The success of Alien spawned the Alien franchise. Badejo was offered a role in a sequel,[8] but moved back to Nigeria in 1980; this led to the sequels incorporating more puppetry and animation alongside several suit performers. Alien is his sole film credit.[14][13]

After his return to Nigeria, Badejo began running his own art gallery in 1983.[2][9] He died from sickle cell disease at the age of 39 in 1992.[14]

Filmography

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List of acting credits for Bolaji Badejo
Year Title Role Notes
1979 Alien Alien / Xenomorph Feature film[15]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Staff (7 March 2016). "Bolaji Badejo, dos metros y 18 centímetros de extrema delgadez dentro de Alien". Hoy Cinema. Archived from the original on 3 December 2016. Retrieved 8 May 2016.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Page, Thomas (7 March 2016). "Bolaji Badejo: The Nigerian giant who played 'Alien'". CNN. Retrieved 28 November 2018.
  3. ^ "Top-5 Celebrities Who Were Born In Nigeria". Naij. 22 October 2014.
  4. ^ Chare, Nicholas (2017). After Francis Bacon: Synaesthesia and Sex in Paint. Oxon: Routledge. p. 164. ISBN 9781409411703.
  5. ^ Keegan, Rebecca (15 December 2009). The Futurist: The Life and Films of James Cameron. Crown/Archetype. ISBN 9780307460332.
  6. ^ "Interview with Bolaji Badejo, 1979". Strange Shapes. 18 October 2012. Retrieved 17 May 2022.
  7. ^ Scanlon, Paul (1979). The Book of Alien. London: Titan Books. ISBN 1-85286-483-4.
  8. ^ a b Rennie, Daniel (19 January 2021). "Bolaji Badejo Terrified Audiences As The Xenomorph In 'Alien', And His Experience Inside The Suit Wasn't Much Better". Bold Entrance. Retrieved 17 May 2022.
  9. ^ a b "How Bolaji Badejo's performance brought Alien's xenomorph to life". Little White Lies. Retrieved 17 May 2022.
  10. ^ "Alien (1979) - Financial Information". The Numbers. Retrieved 17 May 2022.
  11. ^ "Why Alien is one of the most influential movies ever made: Howell". The Toronto Star. 3 September 2015. ISSN 0319-0781. Retrieved 17 May 2022.
  12. ^ "AFI's 10 TOP 10". American Film Institute. Retrieved 17 May 2022.
  13. ^ a b "Alien Fan Poster Honors Often Uncredited Xenomorph Actor Bolaji Badejo". ScreenRant. 16 May 2022. Retrieved 17 May 2022.
  14. ^ a b "Who played Alien's original Xenomorph? Meet the men behind film's most terrifying monsters". 2 November 2020. Archived from the original on 2 November 2020. Retrieved 4 May 2022.
  15. ^ "The Unsung Hero of the Alien Franchise: The Guy Inside the Xenomorph Suit". Vanity Fair. 18 May 2017. Retrieved 17 May 2022.
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