RIP Stan Winston

Now, some people reading this are going to be wondering who the heck Stan Winston is. To put it simply, he has shaped cinema in the last 30 years maybe more than any director, producer or actor could have dreamed of. He is the creative genius behind the looks of the Terminator (Terminator and Terminator 2: Judgement Day), the Predator (Predator), the Alien Queen (Alien and Aliens), Edward Scissorhands (Edward Scissorhands), Gotham City, Penguin and Cat Woman (Batman Returns), various dinosaurs including a full scale T-Rex (Jurassic Park and Jurassic Park 2) and various cybertronics (AI).

He was nominated for nine Oscars and won four, as well as other numerous acolades.

People from James Cameron to Steven Spielberg talk about what a genuinely passionate person Stan was. His company boardroom was a perfect a example of his personality, with full scale models of the Termintor, Predator and velocoraptors all seemingly pouncing on those who sat down and a full scale Tyrannosaurus Rex head over the seat of the chairman.

His last fully complete project was the suit for Ironman, with work being carried out at the moment for Terminator: Salvation. He died in his sleep on 15th June at his home in Malibu, California, after suffering with multiple myeloma for seven years.

So next time you watch one of the films above, spare a second to think of the failed actor who was trained in make-up at Disney and then went on to change the movie world. But then push this to the back of your mind and enjoy the film, I'm guessing thats what Stan would have wanted.