R.I.P. Stan Winston

Special effects legend Stan Winston died today at the age of 62. The reason for his death has not yet been released.

I just got on the Internet hoping to find some type of movie news to report on and this is not the story I wanted to see. Winston is a bona-fide legend in the movie world. He's created some of the greatest creatures in film history, from the Terminator exoskeleton, to the Predator, to the dinosaurs of Jurassic Park. He even created the monsters for one of my favorite childhood movies: The Monster Squad. Aside from make-up and special effects, Winston also directed the horror film Pumpkinhead and the short film for the T2: 3D ride at Universal Studios.  He made the work he did for film an art form and he was truly one of a kind. Every interview I saw of the guy made him seem like a genuinely nice guy who just loved what he did. It doesn't seem like there are a lot of people like him still in Hollywood and that just makes his early death so much more tragic. 

I truly respect Stan Winston and what he has brought to film history. He was one of those few people that were able to create movie magic. I'm actually pretty upset that he's gone and I didn't even know the guy. Below you can see a list of the films that Winston worked in his illustrious special effects career. His most recent special effects work was in the smash hit Iron Man. Upcoming films that will include his work include James Cameron's Avatar, Black Mountain, and Terminator: Salvation for the Future.

Here is a list of Winston's work as a make-up artist and in the realm of special effects:

Iron Man (2008)

Tideland (2005)

Constantine (2005)

Big Fish (2003)

Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003)

Darkness Falls (2003)

The Day the World Ended (2001) (TV)

Jurassic Park III (2001)

Pearl Harbor (2001)

Artificial Intelligence: AI (2001)

Galaxy Quest (1999)

End of Days (1999)

Inspector Gadget (1999)

Lake Placid (1999)

Instinct (1999)

Small Soldiers (1998)

Mousehunt (1997)

The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997)

The Relic (1997)

The Island of Dr. Moreau (1996)

The Ghost and the Darkness (1996)

Congo (1995)

Interview with the Vampire (1994)

Jurassic Park (1993)

Shock to the System (1993)

Batman Returns (1992)

Terminator 2: Judgement Day (1991)

Predator 2 (1990)

Edward Scissorhands (1990)

Leviathan (1989)

The Monster Squad (1987)

Predator (1987)

Amazing Stories (1986, 1992) (TV)

Aliens (1986)

Invaders from Mars (1986)

Chiller (1985)

Starman (1984)

The Terminator (1984)

Manimal (1983)

The Phantom of the Opera (1983)

Friday the 13^th Part III (1982)

The Thing (1982)

Heartbeeps (1981)

Dead and Buried (1981)

The Hand (1981)

The Entity (1981)

The Exterminator (1980)

The Island (1980)

The Two Worlds of Jennie Logan (1979) (TV)

The Wiz (1978)

Dracula’s Dog (1978)

Roots (1977) (TV)

Mansion of the Doomed (1976)

W.C. Fields and Me (1976)

Pinocchio (1976) (TV)

Dr. Black, Mr. Hyde (1976)

The Main in the Glass Booth (1975)

Unwed Father (1974) (TV)

The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman (1974) (TV)

Get Christie Love! (1974) (TV)

The Bat People (1974)

Gargoyles (1972) (TV)

R.I.P. Stan. You will be greatly missed.