The first and original Alien film was produced in 1979 and directed by Ridley Scott.
Before the production, the director had put out a casting call for a very tall, very thin actor to play the character of the eponymous Alien but Ridley had a tough time finding someone who fits his description, he sets out looking at basketball players and even tested Peter Mayhew who later featured as Chewbacca in Stars Wars. One day scout agent Peter Archer was having a drink in a London West End pub when a Six Feet Ten Inches (6 ft 10in) young black man walked in, Archer thought of ALIEN as soon as he spotted this young man who was coincidentally the son of the Director-General of the Nigerian Broadcasting Corporation. Immediately Archer arranged for a meeting with the director. "Yes! this is the one" Ridley said as soon as he saw the young man Bolaji Badejo, a student of graphic arts in London, who has traveled extensively with his parents to Ethiopia and the United States where he studied fine arts. Bolaji's combination of height, slimness and an erect posture automatically landed him the role but unfortunately, he could not perform most of the dangerous and physically grueling actions even after taking miming lessons, stuntmen were employed as a substitute for the parts where Bolaji’s unique proportions could not be found. After the movie was produced he returned to Nigeria in 1980 and didn't return for the Alien sequels, which incorporated more puppetry and later animation alongside suit performers; the original was his only film credit. In Nigeria, he ran a successful art gallery in Falomo, and resided at Olonode Street, Yaba until his death in 1983. He died from sickle cell anemia at the age of 39.