Stanley "Stan" Winston (April 7, 1946 – June 15, 2008) was an Academy Award-winning American television and film special effects supervisor, makeup artist and director who designed the Predator creature, for the 1987 film Predator. His initial design has since been adapted, modified and re-envisioned by others (and himself) for the subsequent movies, video games and other media of the Predator and Alien vs. Predator franchise.
As well as designing the original Predator, Winston's effects studio provided the costume and animatronic effects for Predator, as well as the 1986 film Aliens and the 1990 film Predator 2. Other notable films Winston worked on include The Terminator (1984), Terminator 2: Judgement Day (1991), Batman Returns (1992), Jurassic Park (1993) and Iron Man (2008).
For his work on Aliens, Winston won an Academy Award for Best Visual Effects (shared with Robert Skotak, John Richardson and Suzanne M. Benson), a BAFTA and a Saturn Award. For his work on Predator, he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Visual Effects and a Saturn Award, while his work on Predator 2 earned him another two Saturn Award nominations. In addition to these accolades, he won a further three Academy Awards (Best Visual Effects and Best Makeup Effects for Terminator 2: Judgement Day, Best Visual Effects for Jurassic Park), three BAFTAs, two Emmys and seven Saturn Awards, and was nominated for a further six Academy Awards. Winston and his effects studio have been credited with creating some of the most iconic animatronic creatures and villains ever to appear in feature films, including the Terminator endoskeletons from the Terminator franchise, the dinosaurs from the Jurassic Park franchise, the Alien Queen from Aliens and the Predators from the Predator franchise. Winston shared a close relationship with Aliens director James Cameron, working on no less than four of his movies (The Terminator, Aliens, Terminator 2: Judgement Day and Avatar).
Winston passed away in 2008 after a lengthy battle with cancer. Following his death, numerous stars and celebrities paid tribute to him and his work, including Arnold Schwarzenegger, who made a public speech regarding Winston's passing, and director Jon Favreau, who dedicated his Spike TV Scream Award to Winston upon receiving the award for Best Sci-Fi Movie for Iron Man. Terminator Salvation begins and ends its credits with a dedication to Winston. After his death, his four lead supervisors (Shane Mahan, John Rosengrant, Alan Scott and Lindsay Macgowan) founded and built their own effects studio, Legacy Effects, aptly named to honor Winston's memory.
Notable Works
Winston is often cited as one of the greatest practical special effects artists in history, and contributed to several iconic blockbuster effects films, including the first four Terminator films (although the last, Terminator Salvation, was completed after his death) and the Universal Studios attraction T2 3-D: Battle Across Time, Batman Returns and the first three Jurassic Park films. His most notable creations include the Terminator endoskeleton and cyborg prosthetic effects for star Arnold Schwarzenegger in The Terminator, the full-size Queen animatronic in Aliens, the Jungle Hunter in Predator and the City Hunter in Predator 2, the liquid metal prosthetics used in Terminator 2: Judgement Day and the animatronic dinosaurs in the Jurassic Park series, including the full-size Tyrannosaurs rex.
Winston also worked on many other notable effects movies, including John Carpenter's The Thing (where Winston was called in to assist the film's principle effects designer Rob Botin, who found himself unable to meet the film's demanding effects requirements), The Monster Squad (where Winston's studio designed updated versions of classic Hammer Horror monsters), Edward Scissorhands, Congo, The Relic, Small Soldiers, Lake Placid, A.I. Artificial Intelligence, Stephen Spielberg's War of the Worlds and Iron Man.
Awards and Nominations
| Year | Film | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1986 | Aliens | Academy Awards for Best Visual Effects BAFTA for Best Special Visual Effects Saturn Award for Best Special Effects |
| 1987 | Predator | Nominated — Academy Award for Best Visual Effects Nominated — Saturn Award for Best Special Effects |
| 1990 | Predator 2 | Nominated — Saturn Award for Best Make-Up Nominated — Saturn Award for Best Special Effects |
Filmography
| Year | Title | Functioned as | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Director | Effects artist | |||
| 1974 | The Bat People | 
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| 1975 | The Man in the Glass Booth |
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| 1976 | Dr. Black, Mr. Hyde |
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| W. C. Fields and Me |
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| The Terror of Dr. Chaney |
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| 1978 | The Wiz |
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| Zoltan, Hound of Dracula |
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| 1980 | The Island |
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| Uncredited |
| The Exterminator |
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| 1981 | The Hand |
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| Dead and Buried |
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| Heartbeeps |
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| 1982 | Parasite |
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| White Dog |
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| The Thing |
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| Uncredited | |
| The Entity |
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| With William H. Burton, Jr. | |
| Friday the 13th Part III |
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| Uncredited | |
| 1983 | Something Wicked This Way Comes |
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| Uncredited |
| 1984 | Starman |
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| The Terminator |
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| With Michael Biehn, Lance Henriksen, Bill Paxton and Arnold Schwarzenegger, directed by James Cameron | |
| 1986 | The Vidicator |
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| Invaders from Mars |
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| Aliens |
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| 1987 | Predator |
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| The Monster Squad |
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| With Tom Woodruff, Jr. | |
| 1988 | Pumpkinhead |
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| With Lance Henriksen and Tom Woodruff, Jr. |
| 1989 | Leviathan |
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| 1990 | Upworld |
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| Edward Scissorhands |
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| With Winona Ryder | |
| Predator 2 |
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| 1991 | Terminator 2: Judgement Day |
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| With Michael Biehn,[1] Jenette Goldstein, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sven-Ole Thorsen, directed by James Cameron |
| 1992 | Batman Returns |
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| With Henry Kingi |
| 1993 | Jurassic Park |
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| With Christopher John Fields |
| Shock to the System |
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| 1994 | Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles |
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| With Nick Gillard |
| 1995 | Tank Girl |
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| Congo |
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| 1996 | T2 3-D: Battle Across Time |
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| With Arnold Schwarzenegger, co-directed by James Cameron |
| The Island of Dr. Moreau |
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| With Ron Perlman | |
| The Ghost and the Darkness |
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| 1997 | The Relic |
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| With Brian Steele |
| The Lost World: Jurassic Park |
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| With Henry Kingi, Pete Postlethwaite, Thomas Rosales, Jr. and David St. James | |
| Mousehunt |
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| 1998 | Small Soldiers |
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| With Archie Hahn |
| 1999 | Lake Placid |
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| Galaxy Quest |
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| With Sigourney Weaver | |
| Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me |
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| Instinct |
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| Inspector Gadget |
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| With Michael Papajohn | |
| End of Days |
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| With William H. Burton, Jr., Henry Kingi, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sven-Ole Thorsen | |
| 2001 | Pearl Harbor |
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| With Ewen Bremner, Leland Orser and Eddie Yansick |
| Jurassic Park III |
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| A.I. Artificial Intelligence |
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| With R. David Smith | |
| 2003 | Darkness Falls |
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| Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines |
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| With Simon Crane and Arnold Schwarzenegger | |
| Big Fish |
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| 2005 | Constantine |
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| With Henry Kingi and Brad Martin |
| Tideland |
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| 2006 | The Benchwarmers |
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| 2008 | Iron Man |
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| With Thomas Rosales, Jr. |
| 2009 | Terminator Salvation |
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| With Michael Papajohn and Brian Steele |
| G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra |
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| Avatar |
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| Uncredited; with Sigourney Weaver, directed by James Cameron | |
| 2010 | Shutter Island |
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| Uncredited |
Gallery
Add a photo to this galleryStan Winston's creations
References
- ↑ Biehn's appearance in Terminator 2: Judgement Day was cut from the theatrical release, but later reinstated in the extended Special Edition
- ↑ https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=682468078455529&set=a.132306723471670.10590.130940650274944&type=3&theater
- ↑ https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=682494261786244&set=a.132306723471670.10590.130940650274944&type=1&stream_ref=10
