Happy 61st birthday, Dennis Muren!
Born today in 1946, we celebrate the geekdom of Dennis Muren of Industrial Light & Magic, the first special effects artist so esteemed that he got a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Noting that he was responsible for the effects in the original Star Wars and that seven (count ’em: seven!) Oscar wins later he’s still at the top of his game are facts not to be overlooked. Among Mr. Muren’s impressive credits are Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, Terminator 2, Jurassic Park, the flying bicycles in E.T. and more recently, Hulk and War of the Worlds.
Today we celebrate the man whose imagination and career literally paved the great white way of CGI visual effects in Hollywood, helping transform serious suspension of disbelief to viewers’ pure engrossment.
So… what have you done for us lately?