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1-8 of 8
- Gretchen Hartman was born on 28 August 1897 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. She was an actress, known for Les Misérables (1917), The Larrimore Case (1916) and Bride 13 (1920). She was married to Alan Hale. She died on 27 January 1979 in Los Angeles, California, USA.
- Actor
- Additional Crew
Dick Wesson was born on 20 February 1919 in Boise, Idaho, USA. He was an actor, known for The Bob Cummings Show (1955), That Girl (1966) and The Red Skelton Hour (1951). He was married to Barbara Joyce Epstein, Betty Maxine Ross and Mary Evelyn Peirce. He died on 27 January 1979 in Costa Mesa, California, USA.- Special Effects
- Visual Effects
- Additional Crew
Before the advent of computer-generated special effects, pioneers in the field managed to create movie magic, despite often restrictive budgets. Les Bowie was one of the best. He began work as a scenic artist at Denham, Pinewood and Shepperton studios in 1946, under the auspices of W. Percy Day. Bowie made his initial mark by developing a faster technique for creating matte shots in a single day. He was rewarded by being pushed up the ladder to chief matte artist for the Rank Organisation. In 1950, Bowie turned freelance and established his own FX unit in partnership with Vic Margutti and A. Val Elsey. This was later expanded to become Bowie Films Ltd., ultimately Britain's leading FX unit, with a staff of 75 people at work creating miniatures, mechanical devices, trick photography and matte paintings.
Bowie was best known for his work at Hammer, beginning with The Quatermass Xperiment (1955), for which he created the monster. He worked on many of the best films for the studio, producing innovative re-usable models. He was also responsible for numerous clever trick effects, including the demises of Count Dracula and assorted minions. Bowie did superb matte work on The Brides of Dracula (1960), The Curse of the Werewolf (1961), Night Creatures (1962), to mention but a few. He also supervised the creation of earth in just six days (on a budget of 1,000 pounds) for One Million Years B.C. (1966) and destroyed it in The Day the Earth Caught Fire (1961). Bowie's ambition to work on an A-grade production was finally fulfilled, when he was tasked with making models, mattes and composites for Superman (1978). Sadly he died just minutes before receiving his Special Achievement Award at the Oscars.- Annette Benson was born in 1897 in St. Albans, Hertfordshire, England, UK. She was an actress, known for Downhill (1927), Shooting Stars (1928) and Le berceau de dieu (1926). She was married to George Clarke Torry and Norman Mosley Penzer. She died on 27 January 1979 in Torquay, Devon, England, UK.
- Actress
- Soundtrack
Lili Bontemps was born on 9 January 1921 in Gastes, Landes, France. She was an actress, known for The Knight of the Night (1953), Au pan coupé (1967) and Marriage Episodes (1954). She died on 27 January 1979 in Le Bouscat, Gironde, France.- Martins Verdins Sr. was born on 31 August 1898 in Riga, Governorate of Livonia, Russian Empire. He was an actor, known for Zvejnieka dels (1957), Pie bagatas kundzes (1969) and Nekur vairs nav jaiet (1963). He died on 27 January 1979 in Riga, Latvian SSR, USSR.
- Actress
Berna Mack was born on 24 January 1915 in Utah, USA. She was an actress. She died on 27 January 1979 in San Diego, California, USA.- Writer
- Actor
- Composer
Mihály Erdélyi was born on 28 May 1895 in Szeged, Hungary. He was a writer and actor, known for Juszt is megnösülök (1927), Négylevelü lóhere (1931) and Hussars of Fehervari (1939). He died on 27 January 1979 in Budapest, Hungary.