(1946-2008)

Stan Winston, master inventor, artistic wizard and Hollywood’s foremost special effects go-to guy, lost his fight with multiple myeloma last week at the age of 62 at his home in Malibu. A walk through Winston’s studio gallery is a journey through 20 years of fantasy film’s most memorable iconography—“The Terminator,” “Predator,” “Pumpkinhead,” “Edward Scissorhands,” even “Jurrassic Park’s” raptors and T-rexes, to name just a fraction, all sprang from his unparalleled imagination. His vociferous and enthusiastic advocacy for good ol’ honest, practical effects may have single-handedly protected
Hollywood from caving to trendy, expensive and often substandard computer imaging. His impact on, and contribution to the movie industry may be impossible to adequately qualify, but here are some words from a few of his many collaborators:

“He said that once you’ve shown something is possible, everybody can do it. What was important was being first. Breaking new ground.” —James Cameron (director of “Terminator” and “Aliens”)

“He was a giant ... the king of integrating practical effects with CGI, never losing his relevance in an ever-changing industry.” —Jon Favreau (director of “Zathura” and “Iron Man”)

“As revered an industry figure as he was, he was still basically the kid who loved movies and broke into the business for the magic of it, and he never let go of that attitude.” —Frank Darabont (director of “The Mist”)

“Like many of us who began as monster kids, he was eternally excited to be part of the movie business, even after becoming one of the major names in his field.” —Joe Dante (director of “Gremlins” and “Small Soldiers”)

“Stan took make-up effects out of the garage and made it a respectable business.” —Rick Baker (makeup effects for “X-Men II” and “Hellboy”)

“Stan was a fearless and courageous artist/inventor. What I will miss most is his easy laugh every time he said to me, “Nothing is impossible.” —Stephen Spielberg (director of “Jurassic Park,” “A.I.” and “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull”)

Maybe more than any other artist of his generation, Winston really worked to keep the “special” in “special effects.” Rest in peace, Stan, you did good.