From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Thomas Glenn Robinson
Born (1914-09-20 ) September 20, 1914Idaho, USA
Died March 27, 2002(2002-03-27) (aged 87)Los Angeles, California, USA
Occupation Visual effects artist Years active 1936–1984 Children 5
Thomas Glenn Robinson , better known as Glen Robinson (September 20, 1914 – March 27, 2002), was an American
special and
visual effects artist, winner of six
Academy Awards : two
Academy Awards for Technical Achievement
[1] and four
Special Achievement Academy Awards .
[2] As a
special effects artist, his career spans over six decades from the mid-1930s to the mid-1980s, having worked literally on dozens of films.
Biography
Glen Robinson was born Thomas Glenn Robinson in Idaho on September 20, 1914. When aged twelve his family moved to
Los Angeles city and in 1932, at the age of 18, he graduated from
Venice High School . In 1936 he was hired by the
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer company, where he became the studio's top special effects coordinator.
Alongside his special effects career, Robinson was an engineer of
roller coaster and double
Ferris wheel attractions at amusement and theme parks that included Magic Mountain (
Golden, Colorado ;
Valencia, California ), Pleasure Island (
Wakefield, Massachusetts ),
Freedomland U.S.A. (
New York ) and
Space City USA (near
Huntsville, Alabama ). In the book, Freedomland U.S.A.: The Definitive History (Theme Park Press, 2019), Robinson is credited for his work at the park. However, his specific contributions to Freedomland remain undetermined. Space City USA never was completed.
Glen Robinson died of natural causes on March 27, 2002, at the
Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital in
Woodland Hills ,
Los Angeles ,
California . He died on the same day as three other Hollywood stars: actor
Dudley Moore , comedian
Milton Berle and film director and screenwriter
Billy Wilder .
[3] Robinson was aged 87 and at the moment of his death he was survived by five children (two sons and three daughters), fourteen grandchildren and thirteen great-grandchildren.
[4]
Selected filmography
The Wizard of Oz (1939, special effects prop shop, uncredited)
Forbidden Planet (1956, special effects technician, uncredited)
The Rat Patrol (TV Series, special effects), three episodes:
The Last Chance Raid (1967)
Two for One Raid (1967)
The One That Got Away Raid (1967)
The Bamboo Saucer (1968, special effects)
Battle of Britain (1969, special effects)
Tora! Tora! Tora! (1970, mechanical effects, uncredited)
Earthquake (1974, special effects)
The Hindenburg (1975, special mechanical effects, credited as Glenn Robinson)
Logan's Run (1976, special effects)
King Kong (1976, special effects)
Demon Seed (1977, special mechanical effects – uncredited)
Hurricane (1979, special effects)
Meteor (1979, special effects supervisor)
Kaala Patthar (1979, special effects)
Flash Gordon (1980, special effects consultant)
Island Claws (1980, special effects)
Pennies from Heaven (1981, special effects)
Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid (1982, special effects)
Amityville II: The Possession (1982, special effects supervisor)
Meatballs Part II (1984, special effects)
Awards
Two Academy Awards for Technical Achievement
1952 (
24th ): "for the development of a new music wire and cable cutter "
1960 (
32nd ): "for the design of a multiple-cable, remote-controlled winch ", shared with Winfield Hubbard and Luther Newman, both from the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studio Construction Department
Four Special Achievement Academy Awards
References
^
Glen Robinson as mentioned in the Oscars.org Awards Database [
permanent dead link ]
^ David Samuelson,
Hands-on Manual for Cinematographers , Focal Press edition (2013), based on the second edition (1998, first published 1994),
ISBN
978-0-240-51480-2 (p. 21)
^ Crean, Ellen (29 March 2002).
"Sad Week In Show Business" .
CBS News . Retrieved 20 October 2023 .
^ Doug Galloway,
Thomas ‘Glen’ Robinson: Special Effects Pioneer , May 1, 2002, Variety.com (US Edition)
External links
1963–1980
Emil Kosa Jr. –
Cleopatra (1963)
Peter Ellenshaw ,
Eustace Lycett , and
Hamilton Luske –
Mary Poppins (1964)
John Stears –
Thunderball (1965)
Art Cruickshank –
Fantastic Voyage (1966)
L. B. Abbott –
Doctor Dolittle (1967)
Stanley Kubrick –
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
Robie Robertson –
Marooned (1969)
A. D. Flowers and
L. B. Abbott –
Tora! Tora! Tora! (1970)
Alan Maley ,
Eustace Lycett , and
Danny Lee –
Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971)
L. B. Abbott and
A. D. Flowers –
The Poseidon Adventure (1972)
Frank Brendel ,
Glen Robinson , and
Albert Whitlock –
Earthquake (1974)
Albert Whitlock and
Glen Robinson –
The Hindenburg (1975)
Carlo Rambaldi ,
Glen Robinson , and
Frank Van der Veer –
King Kong (1976)
John Stears ,
John Dykstra ,
Richard Edlund ,
Grant McCune , and
Robert Blalack –
Star Wars (1977)
Les Bowie ,
Colin Chilvers ,
Denys Coop ,
Roy Field ,
Derek Meddings , and
Zoran Perisic –
Superman (1978)
H. R. Giger ,
Carlo Rambaldi ,
Brian Johnson ,
Nick Allder , and
Dennis Ayling –
Alien (1979)
Brian Johnson ,
Richard Edlund ,
Dennis Muren , and
Bruce Nicholson –
The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
1981–2000
Richard Edlund ,
Kit West ,
Bruce Nicholson , and
Joe Johnston –
Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
Carlo Rambaldi ,
Dennis Muren , and
Kenneth F. Smith –
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
Richard Edlund ,
Dennis Muren ,
Ken Ralston , and
Phil Tippett –
Return of the Jedi (1983)
Dennis Muren ,
Michael J. McAlister ,
Lorne Peterson , and
George Gibbs –
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984)
Ken Ralston ,
Ralph McQuarrie ,
Scott Farrar , and
David Berry –
Cocoon (1985)
Robert Skotak ,
Stan Winston ,
John Richardson , and
Suzanne M. Benson –
Aliens (1986)
Dennis Muren ,
Bill George ,
Harley Jessup , and
Kenneth F. Smith -
Innerspace (1987)
Ken Ralston ,
Richard Williams ,
Edward Jones , and
George Gibbs –
Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988)
John Bruno ,
Dennis Muren ,
Hoyt Yeatman , and
Dennis Skotak –
The Abyss (1989)
Eric Brevig ,
Rob Bottin ,
Tim McGovern , and
Alex Funke –
Total Recall (1990)
Dennis Muren ,
Stan Winston ,
Gene Warren Jr. , and
Robert Skotak –
Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)
Ken Ralston ,
Doug Chiang ,
Douglas Smythe , and
Tom Woodruff Jr. –
Death Becomes Her (1992)
Dennis Muren ,
Stan Winston ,
Phil Tippett , and
Michael Lantieri –
Jurassic Park (1993)
Ken Ralston ,
George Murphy ,
Stephen Rosenbaum , and
Allen Hall –
Forrest Gump (1994)
Scott E. Anderson ,
Charles Gibson ,
Neal Scanlan , and
John Cox –
Babe (1995)
Volker Engel ,
Douglas Smith ,
Clay Pinney , and
Joe Viskocil –
Independence Day (1996)
Robert Legato ,
Mark Lasoff ,
Thomas L. Fisher , and
Michael Kanfer –
Titanic (1997)
Joel Hynek ,
Nicholas Brooks ,
Stuart Robertson , and
Kevin Mack –
What Dreams May Come (1998)
John Gaeta ,
Janek Sirrs ,
Steve Courtley , and
Jon Thum –
The Matrix (1999)
John Nelson ,
Neil Corbould ,
Tim Burke , and
Rob Harvey –
Gladiator (2000)
2001–2020
Jim Rygiel ,
Randall William Cook ,
Richard Taylor , and
Mark Stetson –
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
Jim Rygiel ,
Joe Letteri ,
Randall William Cook , and
Alex Funke –
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)
Jim Rygiel ,
Joe Letteri ,
Randall William Cook , and
Alex Funke –
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
John Dykstra ,
Scott Stokdyk ,
Anthony LaMolinara , and
John Frazier –
Spider-Man 2 (2004)
Joe Letteri ,
Brian Van't Hul ,
Christian Rivers , and
Richard Taylor –
King Kong (2005)
John Knoll ,
Hal Hickel ,
Charles Gibson , and
Allen Hall –
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006)
Michael L. Fink ,
Bill Westenhofer ,
Ben Morris , and
Trevor Wood –
The Golden Compass (2007)
Eric Barba ,
Steve Preeg ,
Burt Dalton , and
Craig Barron –
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)
Joe Letteri ,
Stephen Rosenbaum ,
Richard Baneham , and
Andrew R. Jones –
Avatar (2009)
Paul Franklin ,
Chris Corbould ,
Andrew Lockley , and
Peter Bebb –
Inception (2010)
Robert Legato ,
Joss Williams ,
Ben Grossmann , and
Alex Henning –
Hugo (2011)
Bill Westenhofer ,
Guillaume Rocheron ,
Erik-Jan de Boer , and
Donald R. Elliott –
Life of Pi (2012)
Tim Webber ,
Chris Lawrence ,
Dave Shirk , and
Neil Corbould –
Gravity (2013)
Paul Franklin ,
Andrew Lockley ,
Ian Hunter , and
Scott R. Fisher –
Interstellar (2014)
Mark Williams Ardington ,
Sara Bennett ,
Paul Norris , and
Andrew Whitehurst –
Ex Machina (2015)
Robert Legato ,
Adam Valdez ,
Andrew R. Jones , and
Dan Lemmon –
The Jungle Book (2016)
John Nelson ,
Gerd Nefzer ,
Paul Lambert , and
Richard R. Hoover –
Blade Runner 2049 (2017)
Paul Lambert ,
Ian Hunter ,
Tristan Myles , and
J. D. Schwalm –
First Man (2018)
Guillaume Rocheron ,
Greg Butler , and
Dominic Tuohy –
1917 (2019)
Andrew Jackson ,
David Lee ,
Andrew Lockley , and
Scott R. Fisher –
Tenet (2020)
2021–present
L. B. Abbott ,
A. D. Flowers (1972)
Frank Brendel ,
Glen Robinson ,
Albert Whitlock (1974)
Peter Berkos /
Albert Whitlock ,
Glen Robinson (1975)
Carlo Rambaldi ,
Glen Robinson ,
Frank Van der Veer /
L. B. Abbott ,
Glen Robinson ,
Matthew Yuricich (1976)
Ben Burtt /
Frank Warner (1977)
Les Bowie ,
Colin Chilvers ,
Denys Coop ,
Roy Field ,
Derek Meddings ,
Zoran Perisic (1978)
Alan Splet (1979)
Brian Johnson ,
Richard Edlund ,
Dennis Muren ,
Bruce Nicholson (1980)
Ben Burtt ,
Richard L. Anderson (1981)
Richard Edlund ,
Dennis Muren ,
Ken Ralston ,
Phil Tippett (1983)
Kay Rose (1984)
Stephen Hunter Flick ,
John Pospisil (1987)
Richard Williams (1988)
Eric Brevig ,
Rob Bottin ,
Tim McGovern ,
Alex Funke (1990)
John Lasseter (1995)
Alejandro González Iñárritu (2017)