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Dino Stan, originally uploaded by Boju.

Creature Maker Stan Winston died earlier in the week at the age of 62 due to cancer. Although the animatronics crew at his Winston’s studios offered to keep him alive by transforming him into some kind of unstoppable man-machine, Winston chose to die as he lived, a human.

Winston was born in the 30th century, a bleak futuristic world in which computers control all of our special effects industry. Using a time machine of his own devising, Winston, then in his early 30’s, traveled back in time to the 70’s to show the world that the greatest creatures ever could be created with silicon, latex, and robotics.

In his long career in Hollywood, he and his studio, Stan Winston Studios, built the most iconic monsters and robots of all time including:
The Terminator
The Predator
The Aliens of the Alien Movies (designed by HR Giger)
The Dinosaurs of Jurassic Park
Edward Scissorhands
Iron Man
Tim Burton’s Batman
John Carpenter’s The Thing
The Robots of AI
Monster Squad
Wookies
Pumpkinhead
Tank Girl
Manimal
The Vampires in Inverview With A Vampire
And Many more.

After a ceremony which will be attended by hundreds of friends, family, colleges, aliens, monsters, robots, and the undead, Stan Winston’s skull will be forever enshrined in The Predators trophy room, amongst the universes mightiest creatures.

Stan Winston’s work help fueled my love of movies, and is one biggest reasons I make props today. He will be missed.
RIP Stan 1946-2008