Have you ever wondered why the dinosaurs from the originalJurassic Parkstill look so good to this day? Or why the machines fromThe Terminatorseries are so iconic; or what makes the Predator design so memorable? If you have, it is because of the timeless magic of special effects masterStan Winston, whose touch left a lasting effect on the imaginations of multiple generations.
It isn’t just that Winston was good at building technology to create a realistic or unique design. He had something extra that made his work as memorable and iconic as it was.As he said in an interview, “It’s not about technology. It’s about writers writing wonderful stories with fantastic characters and me being able to create a visual image that’s beyond what you would expect.”
That love of storytelling is part of why Winston had a profound impact on the world of special effects, and his legacy persists to this day.
The Beginning
Winston was born in Arlington, Virginia, and grew up with a keen interest in everything monster-related. He also loved puppets and the animatronics behind them, and was especially inspired when he saw the animatronic Abraham Lincoln in Disneyland. He studied painting and sculpture at the University of Virginia, then moved to Hollywood in 1969 to pursue a career as an actor. When that didn’t work out, he fell into an apprenticeship at Walt Disney Studios working on makeup - and the rest was movie history.
Winston began impressive work almost immediately, winning an Emmy Award for his work in his first movie, the 1972 TV movieGargoyles, followed by praise for his makeup effects inThe Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman.
Then in 1982, Winston got his big break when he was invited to work with Rob Bottin on John Carpenter’sThe Thing,a movie which is known for havingsome of the best special effects in horror. Winston worked specifically on the melted, terrifying dog monster - which got him the attention of the legendary James Cameron.
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The Golden Age
Stan Winston would go on to be one of the main creative forces behindsome of the best sci-fi movies of the 1980s. Impressed with Winston’s work, James Cameron brought him on board to work onTerminatorin 1984, and Winston ended up designing the T-800, including the half-human half-robot look of Schwarzenegger’s character. The movements of his creations forTerminatorcould be controlled remotely, or were filmed with stop-motion animation. Cameron was happy with the look, and again used Winston inAliensin 1986, having him design the terrifying Xenomorph queen that is the main antagonist of the film, and has perhapsthe best special effects of 1980s sci-fi. Winston’s work onAlienswas so impressive and terrifying that it earned him his first of four Academy Awards, for Best Visual Effects.
Winston went immediately into John McTiernan’s moviePredatorin 1987, redesigning the costume for the Predator to a design that got him nominated for another Oscar, and isstill impressing audiences today. Winston tried his hand at directing in the following year for the moviePumpkinhead, which, while it didn’t overly impress audiences at the time, has since become a cult classic horror film.
The 1990s didn’t slow Winston down at all. He went on to design the signature hands forEdward Scissorhands, the makeup for the Penguin inBatman Returns, and worked on thePredatorandTerminatorsequels.
Then cameJurassic Park. Spielberg wanted the best talent in Hollywood for this film, and so he sought out Winston to get the perfect look for the animatronic dinosaurs, which are still compelling and realistic on screen even today - and earned him another Oscar.
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A Lasting Legacy
Winston went on to work on 40 other films in the years afterJurassic Park, includingBig Fish,Galaxy Quest, andIron Man.He had diverse interests beyond special effects, too, launching a comic book series, and even helping to produce what was, for a long time,the longest music video ever made(38 minutes). He was also the first special effects artist to ever get his own Hollywood Star, in 2001.
Winston worked right up until his death in 2008, after suffering for years with multiple myeloma. Many of his collaborators over the span of his career spoke out after Winston’s death in praise of his work,including Spielberg, who said at the time, “My world would not have been the same without Stan. What I will miss most is his easy laugh every time he said to me, ‘Nothing is impossible.'”
Winston’s family later founded the Stan Winston School of Character Arts to “preserve Stan’s legacy by inspiring and fostering creativity in a new generation of character creators.”
Winston’s legacy is powerful and enduring, and can’t be overstated. He was a legend who made genuine movie magic, is largely responsible for the iconic look of classic films over a period of decades, and his work stands the test of time.
