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American special effects designer
Grant McCune
Born (1943-03-27 ) March 27, 1943Died December 27, 2010(2010-12-27) (aged 67)Hidden Hills, California
Occupation Special effects designer
Grant McCune (March 27, 1943 – December 27, 2010) was an American
special effects designer whose entry into Hollywood was the uncredited creation of the
great white shark in the 1975 film
Jaws . His efforts there led to work on a series of major films, including his design of the robots in the
Star Wars films, winning an
Oscar in 1977 for his efforts in the
first film in the series .
Biography
McCune was born on March 27, 1943. He attended
California State University, Northridge where he earned his undergraduate degree in biology and met his future wife.
[1]
[2] McCune was able to use his scientific training when he and Bill Shourt were hired in 1975 to work on creating the iconic shark in the movie Jaws , marking his start in Hollywood, though he was uncredited.
[1] He was subsequently hired to work on the Star Wars movies as the franchise's chief model maker, responsible for the design details of the robots (such as
R2-D2
[3] ) and alien characters in the films. He and his team earned an
Academy Award for Best Visual Effects at the
50th Academy Awards for
Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope .
[1] He received a second Oscar nomination for his work on the 1979 film
Star Trek: The Motion Picture . As a partner at Apogee Productions, McCune's work was featured in such films as
Caddyshack before founding his own firm, which was hired to work on such movies as
Speed and
Spider-Man .
[3]
Interviewed by
Popular Mechanics magazine in 2009, McCune described how one uses a photographer's eye in designing miniatures, using perspective and surface details to make the objects appear as realistic as possible.
[4]
A resident of
Hidden Hills, California , McCune died at his home there of
pancreatic cancer at the age of 67 on December 27, 2010.
[5]
[6] He was survived by his wife, Katherine, as well as by a daughter and a son.
[1]
[3]
[7]
Filmography
Star Wars (1977) - Death Star Gunner (uncredited)
References
^
a
b
c
d Nordyke, Kimberly (December 29, 2010).
" 'Star Wars' Visual Effects Artist Grant McCune Dies" .
The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved December 30, 2010 .
^ Staff.
"PASSINGS: Grant McCune, Roger Milliken: Grant McCune, a special effects artist who shared an Oscar for 'Star Wars,' dies at 67; Roger Milliken, a textile magnate who was among the richest in the U.S., dies at 95" ,
Los Angeles Times , December 31, 2010. Retrieved December 30, 2010.
^
a
b
c Staff.
"R2-D2 creator Grant McCune dies" ,
CBC News , December 30, 2010. Retrieved December 30, 2010.
^ Porges, Seth.
"4 Questions for Star Wars Modelmaker Grant McCune" ,
Popular Mechanics , October 1, 2009. Retrieved December 30, 2010.
^
"VFX model-making pioneer Grant McCune dies" .
Animation Magazine . Retrieved 2024-06-07 .
^
"Oscar-Winning FX Artist McCune Dies" .
Animation World Network . Retrieved 2024-06-07 .
^ Staff (December 29, 2010).
"Star Wars visual effects artist dies" .
Variety . Retrieved December 30, 2010 .
External links
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