Ray Harryhausen
| Ray Harryhausen | |
|---|---|
Harryhausen at the Forbidden Planet store in London (May 2007)
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| Born |
Raymond Frederick Harryhausen June 29, 1920 Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Died | May 7, 2013 (aged 92) London, England, UK |
| Occupation | Stop motion model animator |
| Years active | 1939–1980; 2002 |
| Spouse(s) | Diana Livingstone Bruce (1963–2013; his death) |
| Children | 1 |
| Awards |
Gordon E. Sawyer Award (Oscar for technological contributions) 1991 Science Fiction Hall of Fame 2005 Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Awards 2006 |
| Website | www |
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Raymond Frederick "Ray" Harryhausen (June 29, 1920 – May 7, 2013) was an American-British visual effects creator, writer, and producer who created a form of stop-motion model animation known as "Dynamation".
His most memorable works include the animation on Mighty Joe Young (1949), with his mentor Willis H. O'Brien, which won the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects; The 7th Voyage of Sinbad (1958), his first color film; and Jason and the Argonauts (1963), featuring a famous sword fight with seven skeleton warriors. His last film was Clash of the Titans (1981), after which he retired.
Harryhausen moved to the United Kingdom, becoming a dual US-UK citizen and lived in London from 1960 until his death in 2013. During his life, his innovative style of special effects in films inspired numerous filmmakers including George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, John Lasseter, Peter Jackson, John Landis, Joe Dante, Henry Selick and Tim Burton.
Harryhausen was born in Los Angeles, California, the son of Martha L. (née Reske) and Frederick W. Harryhausen. Of German descent, the family surname was originally spelled "Herrenhausen".
After having seen King Kong (1933) for the first of many times on its initial release, Harryhausen spent his early years experimenting in the production of animated shorts, inspired by the burgeoning science fiction literary genre of the period. The scenes utilising stop-motion animation (or model animation), those featuring creatures on the island or Kong, were the work of pioneer model animator Willis O'Brien. His work in King Kong inspired Harryhausen, and a friend arranged a meeting with O'Brien for him. O'Brien critiqued Harryhausen's early models and urged him to take classes in graphic arts and sculpture to hone his skills. Meanwhile, Harryhausen became friends with an aspiring writer, Ray Bradbury, with similar enthusiasms. Bradbury and Harryhausen joined the Los Angeles-area Science Fiction League formed by Forrest J. Ackerman in 1939, and the three became lifelong friends.
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