Ray Harryhausen
Born Raymond Frederick Harryhausen on
June 29, 1920
in Los Angeles, CA
Ray Harryhausen was something close to a one-man operation when it came to creating movie magic. And what magic he created, especially for a string of 1950s and '60s fantasy classics. His creations included the rhedosaurus from “The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms,” the cyclops from “The 7th Voyage of Sinbad,” the skeleton army from “Jason and the Argonauts” and Medusa from the original “Clash of the Titans.” Harryhausen drew, storyboarded, created the models and then moved his creatures one frame at a time in order to achieve the memorable on-screen motion. Harryhausen's innovation was “Dynamation,” a technique that allowed his models to be integrated into live-action footage. Any given effect, he said, could take months for him to complete — such as the classic skeleton army battle sequence in “Jason and the Argonauts.” “It took four months to put the skeleton fight scene together and it lasted less than five minutes,” Harryhausen said. When asked if he had a favorite film among the many he was involved with, Harryhausen replied: “I try not to because, well, the others get jealous.”
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Points of interest
Academy Awards
| Year | Category | Work | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | Gordon E. Sawyer Award | Win |
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