Nigerian actor (1953–1992)
Bolaji Badejo | |
|---|---|
Badejo partially in costume on the set of Alien in 1979 | |
| Born | (1953-08-23)23 August 1953 Lagos, British Nigeria |
| Died | 22 December 1992(1992-12-22) (aged 39) Lagos, Nigeria |
| Cause of death | Sickle cell disease |
| Nationality | Nigerian |
| Occupations | |
| Years active | 1979 |
| Known for | Alien (1979) |
| Height | 208 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.
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 fictionhorror filmAlien. 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he was chosen to play the part due to his height and "very long legs".[6][7] He was described as "mild-mannered" and "withdrawn" on set, and special effects supervisor Nick Allder said "To have been the center of attraction… it was a bit of a shock to him."[8][9]Alien was released in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]