Stan Winston, visual-effects titan, dies at 62

(FROM AP) — Stan Winston, the visual-effects pioneer who brought to life fantastic creatures in blockbusters like Aliens, Terminator 2: Judgment Day, and Jurassic Park, has died at age 62. He passed away Sunday at his home in California, following a seven-year struggle with multiple myeloma.

For more than three decades, the four-time Academy Award winner was among Hollywood’s leading makeup, visual-effects, and animatronic artists. Winston frequently worked with filmmakers like Steven Spielberg, James Cameron, and Tim Burton; rarely since the early 1980s did an action or fantasy film come to theaters without the aid of his craftsmanship. His 10 career Oscar nominations illustrate the diversity of his output: Winston was responsible in part for the makeup in fantasies like Edward Scissorhands and Batman Returns, he was behind the dreaded alien monster in Predator, and he was a leader of the team that brought dinosaurs to life in Jurassic Park and its sequel, The Lost World.

Winston’s company, Stan Winston Studio, has credits on three current releases — Iron Man, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, and You Don’t Mess With the Zohan — and it is slated to contribute to several major upcoming releases, including G.I. Joe, Terminator 4, and James Cameron’s Avatar. (AP via Google)