Damn, dude was a hero of mine.Stan Winston Is Dead At 62
FX genius loses battle with cancer
Source: AICN
Quint over at Aint It Cool News is reporting some terrible news that we hope ג to echo Quintגs thoughts ג is simply not true. Stan Winston ג one of the true greats of special effects ג has died of cancer at the age of 62.
Winston was, quite simply, responsible for some of the most iconic practical FX creations of the past 30 years.
To reel off a list of Winston creations is to produce a shopping list of some of the biggest and best creatures in movie history, from the Terminator exo-skeleton (who can forget that first shot of the terrifying machine rising from the flames?) to the dinosaurs of Jurassic Park and its sequels, the Predator, the Alien Queen, Edward Scissorhands, the astonishing Teddy (from A.I. Artificial Intelligence), and of course, Pumpkinhead, the titular star of Winston's directorial debut. He was, and we can say this without fear of contradiction, a genius.
Most recently, he and his company, Stan Winston Studios, was heavily involved in the creation of the Iron Man suit, while he was also working on Terminator Salvation: The Future Begins. Perhaps his greatest achievement, along with the likes of Rick Baker, WETAגs Richard Taylor and Greg Nicotero and Howard Berger over at KNB, was in fighting for and ensuring that practical effects had their place in an industry where the emphasis is placed increasingly on flashy CG bells and whistles.
Winston was born on the 7th April, 1946, in Richmond, Virginia. He moved to Hollywood in 1968, initially with designs on becoming an actor. However, when no work was forthcoming, he became an apprentice in the Make-Up Department at Walt Disney Studios.
Quickly adjusting to his new career, he founded Stan Winston Studio in 1972, winning an Emmy for his work on the TV movie, Gargoyles. He was nominated for his first Oscar in 1982, for the movie Heartbeeps. He went on to win his first Oscar in 1987, for his amazing work on James Cameronגs Aliens (his connection with Cameron had, of course, been established several years before). In total, he won four Oscars ג two for Terminator 2: Judgement Day, and one for his groundbreaking work on Jurassic Park.
He was also only the second special effects artist to have a star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame and was, by all accounts, a great guy to know. This reporter interviewed him only once ג in 2001, for A.I. ג but found him to be gracious, charming and, importantly, humble, often making it seem that the work he was pulling off was somehow easy.
His loss will be keenly felt throughout the industry. Rest in peace, Stan.
Chris Hewitt
Stan Winston R.I.P.
Moderator: drizzle
Stan Winston R.I.P.
From empireonline.com
-
- Posts: 570
- Joined: Tue Sep 18, 2007 5:03 pm
- Location: Pittsburgh, PA
- Contact:
-
- Posts: 8819
- Joined: Tue Mar 16, 2004 2:50 pm
- Location: Humboldt
-
- Posts: 473
- Joined: Tue Jan 16, 2007 10:34 pm
- Location: New York City
-
- Posts: 8536
- Joined: Wed Jan 28, 2004 2:15 pm
- Location: El Puente, VA
Seriously, this guy's been involved in a shit load of my fave flicks.
RIP!![n :bow:](./images/smilies/icon_bowdown.gif)
RIP!
![n :bow:](./images/smilies/icon_bowdown.gif)
http://www.twitter.com/the_illatino
RIP Josh
RIP Josh
Galvatron78 wrote:I wanna put my head up Irina's skirt and say a Das Efx verse.
-
- Posts: 570
- Joined: Tue Sep 18, 2007 5:03 pm
- Location: Pittsburgh, PA
- Contact: