Stan Winston is Dead

Posted on Monday, June 16th, 2008 by Peter Sciretta

Stan Winston

I have a bit of unfortunate news to report. Academy Award winning special effects and make-up artist Stan Winston died last night. Winston is best known for his work in the Terminator series (Winston designed the original Terminator Endoskeleton), Jurassic Park, Aliens, Predator, and Edward Scissorhands. A frequent collaborator of James Cameron, they co-founded Digital Domain in 1993. Winston was the second special effects artist to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Winston also worked on The Thing, Friday the 13th Part III, Alien Nation, The Monster Squad, Pumpkinhead, Interview with the Vampire, Congo, The Island of Doctor Moreau, Small Soldiers, Pearl Harbor, AI: Artificial Intelligence, Big Fish, Constantine, Batman Returns and Iron Man. His work will be seen in upcoming films: Black Mountain, James Cameron’s Avatar, and Terminator 4.

Comments 

 

Related Posts

Tags

Death, 

  • Jojo
    Very Sad news indeed. Hopefully whatever work he did for Avatar and other upcoming films where he worked is amazing and win stuff just for him.

    R.I.P.
  • A.J.
    Sad news...
  • Josh
    The man was a legend and he will be terribly missed.

    RIP Stan.
  • Robert
    :-(
  • Derek
    :(
    rip.
  • Dave
    R.I.P Stan

    Very sad news indeed.
  • jank
    no! his sfx work and creations are the reason why i'm such a sci-fi film geek today. i guess all we can do is say is thank you for being such a visionary. you have truly created movie history and the magic you brought to the screen will carry on for ages.
    well done Mr. Winston.
    RIP
  • RIP, Stan.
  • Nellus
    A very sad day, he truly was a legend, in my opinion one of the best creative minds in movie history. You have frightened me, inspired me, made me smile and helped shape part of my life.

    You'll be missed Stan, rest in peace.
  • Simon
    This is so so sad. R.I.P Stan.
  • Good grief, I didn't expect to see that when the page loaded! This is terribly sad news and hits very hard.

    Stan's work is pure genius and he brought to life visions and dreams in ways that moved the industry forward, challenged all of us and revolutionized the way we look at film. From big to small, Mr. Winston was a creative and inspiration. He will be profoundly missed.
  • b e n - a
    R.I.P.

    This is so sad - he is one of the greatest contributors to cinema and in creating cinema iconography, well ever.
  • danno
    Sad news - R.I.P
  • Captain Awesome
    He's the reason why film was so awesome. We lost one of the true film greats today.

    Thanks Stan for giving my imagination a run for it's money. And for making me forget our boring world.


    RIP King Winston
  • salthegeek
    NOOOOO
  • J.D.
    Was that the last picture ever taken of him, seconds before being eaten by a T-Rex?

    Seriously, his skills are a huge loss for the profession. I hope -- but doubt -- that the next Terminators will be the same without him.
  • Wes_YDKSmovies
    Truly awful news. R.I.P. Stan. You were one of the best.
  • :-( RIP
    so sad
  • I always loved you.
  • Jr. Said Monkey
    you will be missed
  • Trebek
    :(

    That is a real bummer. I am really very sorry to hear that. He did some fantastic work...Some of the best in the business.

    R.I.P. Stan Winston.
  • Francesca Lever
    What a complete tragedy to lose such a talented, gifted artist who helped shape the best films and directors of the past twenty years. Stan will be hugely missed, as an artist myself he has certainly inspired me for many years.

    My peace, sympathy and prayers are with Stan's family

    Francesca xx
  • REAL6
    NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

    :(
  • Llllllllllllllllll
    ...it should be noted, though, that he had been responsible for rubber dinosaurs and had very little to do with cinema.
  • Matt
    I am frustrated. Stan Winston, a legend who was one of the best in his field of work, has died and it will receive little to no media attention. Meanwhile, Heath Ledger- an actor with POTENTIAL who made some MEDIOCRE movies- dies and his face is plastered everywhere known to man.

    Here, somebody who actually achieved something, somebody who has actually relevance in the world of film, somebody whose work has been seen by more people than Heath Ledger's fanbase could even dream of, dies and nothing. No one pays any attention to it. It's fucked up. My thoughts are the same on Sydney Pollack's death as well.
  • entenn
    I can say only that: THANK YOU AND YOU WILL BE MISSED VERY MUCH! You have given me dream, hope, and inspiration!
    Thank you Stan!
    R.I.P
  • evilnik
    You are a legend, without you james cameroon, arnold or steven spielberg wont be where they have reached....

    RIP :(
  • Captain Awesome
    Matt,

    Please leave out this stupid hierarchy shit on who is more important in terms of death here.

    Don't fuck up this thread.
  • JEff
    Stan's passing is of great relevance for the artistic and film communities. Stan's business sense, creative vision, and attention to detail was what made him the legend that he was in the field. He will be missed and it may well be a century before we see anyone of his caliber ever again. HIs work inspired me to become the artist that I am today.
  • Larry
    Him and his studios work on Jurassic Park were the reason I got into the animation industry to begin with. He will be greatly missed.
  • 790
    Horrible news. I'm very shocked because he seemed in fine heath. Does anyone know what happened?

    I had the awesome pleasure of meeting him when he won the Oscar for Jurassic Park.
    He's was a ledgend and a great guy!

    This industry will never be same without you Stan!
  • Sale nouvelle.

    Bad and sad news.
  • Tim
    This was such a shock to read. I remember an interview where he described what Cameron wanted him to accomplish on Aliens 2 with the "mother" alien creature (before CGI, working only with pupeteers) and at the time he thought what Cameron was asking for was impossible. Yet, they achieved it. Winston was not just a visonary but also clearly a phenomenal collaborator...a craftsman and a artist.
  • Andy
    The headline for this article is not nearly coarse enough.
  • Gaius
    Stan was a true artist in the business and he will be remembered by the industry as one of the few men in Hollywood who could blur the line between fantasy and reality with his creations.

    His work will be cherished and missed by all.
  • Lorlee
    What a loss for his family, friends, the film industry and all of Stan's fans. I IMDB'D Stan's incredible career. We all have to own at least 5 or more movies he has worked on. A truly amazing man who pioneered so many breakthroughs in special effects and make-up. RIP Stan you will be missed.
  • J.D.
    @ Andy -- It COULD have been "Winston: Dead"
  • Christine
    What a tragedy. He will be missed. :[
  • aaron
    rip from all your irish fans.
    a fan from galway
  • BxA
    =[
  • Kip
    Man these things do come in 3s. Turning on Meet the Press yesterday morning to see that Tim Russert had passed away, it was a total punch in the gut and then seeing this page load was another punch. Sad times.
  • Stan Winston was one of the very best at his craft!! He will be sorely missed. I hope that one or more of his proteges will take over where he left off. He was a brilliant artist and his legacy will live on and inspire many other creative f/x designers!
  • jeremy
    he was a legend th best in th biz if you ask me. r.i.p stan
  • JP Dyno
    Respect.
    RIP Stan
  • I can't believe, yet am not at all surprised, to see negative comments on this thread. I am seriously bummed about that. What is wrong with you people?

    I had another thought amidst the darkness today at this news, and it was simply this. Stan's name associated with even the worst project always gave me hope that, at the very least, the creature would be awesome, interesting, or innovative. If Stan Winston was involved, it immediately elevated the project. How many people can we say that about?
  • Ryan T
    A true artist of modern cinema. You will be missed Stan. Your legendary work will live on forever though.
  • Dr. Van Rumplelurk
    This is truly terrible news. Stan is a legend and will always be rmeber for the amazing talents he brought to the film industry. He is and always will be a driving force behind me wanting to take things from a CG thing back to old school animatronics.
  • Stan Winston... :(
  • brian
    a god among men
  • A pioneer is lost.
blog comments powered by Disqus
gorilla nation

/Film

Copyright © 2009 /Film. Web design by Pro Blog Design. Logo Concept by: Illumination Ink

All names, trademarks and images are copyright their respective owners.