SFx Legend Stan Winston, 62, Dies
Posted by: Loren Coleman on June 16th, 2008
Intriguing that today, of all days, I should update a posting on a special effects genius, the late John Chambers.
Now word comes in another great in the field, Stan Winston (above), 62, passed away, late Sunday, June 15, 2008, in Los Angeles, California. He died following a seven-year struggle with multiple myeloma.
“Stan died peacefully at home surrounded by family,” a spokeswoman said.
His work is familiar to you. Winston created the title characters in Iron Man, The Terminator, Pumpkinhead, Predator, Aliens, as well as the monsters in Monster Squad, and the dinosaurs of Jurassic Park. He worked on other well-known movies, such as John Carpenter’s The Thing, The Bat People, Batman Returns, Congo, and Gargoyles. Stan Winston was responsible for the creature features of Lake Placid, one of my favorites because of its crocodile angle in Maine. I’m sure there must have been a Sasquatch or Yeti in the creative mix, too.
Winston won four visual effects Oscars and earned multiple nominations. His first Oscar was for James Cameron’s Aliens (1986). Winston later won two Oscars for Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1992) and 1993’s Jurassic Park.
Winston idolized those who came before him in the field, like Ray Harryhausen, and sought to make his own iconography, inspiring yet more to follow in his lead.
“Stan contributed to some of the greatest — fantastic movie characters in motion picture history,” Phil Tippett, who shared a visual effects Oscar with Winston on Jurassic Park, told The Los Angeles Times. “His loss is a great one and he will be missed.”
Stan Winston was born on April 7, 1946, in Richmond, Virginia, and is only the second special effects artist to be honored with a star on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame.
Stan’s son, Matt, is an actor, possibly best known for his role as Temporal Agent Daniels on “Star Trek: Enterprise.”
About Loren Coleman
Loren Coleman is one of the world’s leading cryptozoologists, some say “the” leading living cryptozoologist. Certainly, he is acknowledged as the current living American researcher and writer who has most popularized cryptozoology in the late 20th and early 21st centuries.
Starting his fieldwork and investigations in 1960, after traveling and trekking extensively in pursuit of cryptozoological mysteries, Coleman began writing to share his experiences in 1969. An honorary member of Ivan T. Sanderson’s Society for the Investigation of the Unexplained in the 1970s, Coleman has been bestowed with similar honorary memberships of the North Idaho College Cryptozoology Club in 1983, and in subsequent years, that of the British Columbia Scientific Cryptozoology Club, CryptoSafari International, and other international organizations. He was also a Life Member and Benefactor of the International Society of Cryptozoology (now-defunct).
Loren Coleman’s daily blog, as a member of the Cryptomundo Team, served as an ongoing avenue of communication for the ever-growing body of cryptozoo news from 2005 through 2013. He returned as an infrequent contributor beginning Halloween week of 2015.
Coleman is the founder in 2003, and current director of the International Cryptozoology Museum in Portland, Maine.
This is really, really sad news for me. This man, this… wizard, brought great joy—and thrills— to my life through his work. I still remember the goosebumps I felt when I saw some of his Jurassic Park dinosaurs displayed at NY’s Museum of Natural History, you could almost hear them breathing!
Rest in Peace 🙁
This news profoundly upsets me. He was one of my heros. My heart goes out to his family.
Tim Russert yesterday, Stan Winston today. Far too young to die. Both will leave a big hole in their respective crafts to fill.
Indeed, another great one is gone. His presence will be missed.
My sympathies go out to family, friends and colleagues.
I have the pleasure to tangentially know one of Mr. Winston’s primary assistants, and can vouch for the amazing artistry he helped pioneer and nuture.
May he rest peacefully, knowing his work produced untold thrills and chills.
Man, that is bad news! I’ve been following Stan Winston in the horror/special effects genre since I was old enough to know who he was…he was really cool, and he was excellent at his craft…rest well in the afterlife!!!
this is aweful sad news to hear & see that stan winston passed away. thanks bill green 🙁
I am sadden and shocked to hear the news.
He was still a young man.
Thanks to the imagination and passion of Stan Winston he gave us unforgettable movie moments. I’ve always been excited to see his creations.
I’ll miss you Stan Winston.
The industry has suffered a blow and I will pray for your loved ones.
Stan was a true original, a true artist, and a true innovator.
He will surely be missed.
Bill
RIP Stan Winston, even if his views on the Patty ‘suit’ were ridiculous.
I really shouldn’t be so upset that a man who is responsible for giving me so many nightmares has died. I was a huge fan of Stan Winston. Nobody seemed to connect with the dark side of scary as well as Mr. Winston. The creature in The Thing and Pumpkinhead were equally brilliant and awe inspiring. For Stan’s sake, I hope there is nothing on the other side as scary as the creatures in his imagination. Rest well my friend.
Tom
One of my heroes, as well, as let’s not forget his work on the cult classic “The Monster Squad.”
I just saw Iron Man for the first time yesterday. Then I came home to hear this. Talk about irony. My fave Winston story goes that he and his crew made up “Island of Dr. Moreau’s” original director, Richard Stanley, as one of the near men, after Stanley left the film due to Val Kilmer and his lousy attitude. They did this to stick it Kilmer. I hope this story is true .
I still feel that the Predators are the greatest race of aliens ever designed for film.
Good morning Cryptos…
My thoughts and prayers for his family and friends.
A very sad day for cinema…the loss of such talent is heartbreaking.
Agreed John…very tragic to be taken in your prime…life is much too short to waste…JMHO
live and let live…
Steve Summar
This is the saddest pieces of news I heard for awhile.
I grew up with his characters, and they became good old friends. He was, and still is, one of the greatest pioneers in movie making, and he will never be forgotten.
This is a sad day in movie history, condolences to his family.
RIP Stan, you did a great job!
I always liked him on that monster movie feature on American Movie Classics in about ‘ 01-‘ 02. And even though I’m not TOO attached to those blockbuster movies he worked on, “Gargoyles” is a whole other thing to me (I first saw it very early on, and I’ve never stopped liking it).