Carlo Rambaldi facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Carlo Rambaldi
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Carlo Rambaldi in 2010
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| Born | September 15, 1925 Vigarano Mainarda, Italy
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| Died | August 10, 2012 (aged 86) Lamezia Terme, Italy
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| Education | Academy of Fine Arts of Bologna |
| Occupation | Special effects Visual effects |
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Notable work
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King Kong (1976) Alien (1979) E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982) |
| Spouse(s) | Bruna Basso |
| Children | Vittorio Daniela |
| Awards | 3 Oscars Academy Awards Special Achievement Award Saturn Award BAFTA Film Award (nominated) David di Donatello Special Los Angeles Film Critics Association Special Los Angeles Italian Film Awards Outstanding Achievement Award Mystfest Special Razzie Award (nominated) |
Carlo Rambaldi (September 15, 1925 – August 10, 2012) was an amazing Italian artist. He was a master of special effects for movies. He won three Oscars for his incredible work.
His first Oscar was a Special Achievement Award in 1977 for the 1976 movie King Kong. He then won two more Oscars for Best Visual Effects. These were for Alien (1979) in 1980 and E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982) in 1983. Carlo Rambaldi is most famous for creating the mechanical head of the creature in Alien. He also designed the beloved character E.T. in E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.
Contents
Early Life and Art Skills
Carlo Rambaldi was born on September 15, 1925, in Vigarano Mainarda, Emilia-Romagna, Italy. He went to the Academy of Fine Arts of Bologna to study painting. There, he became very interested in how machines work and how the human body is built. He loved studying bones and muscles. Famous artists like Pablo Picasso and Renato Guttuso greatly influenced his artistic style.
A Career in Movie Magic
Carlo Rambaldi's first movie job was in 1957. He created a fire-breathing dragon for an Italian film called Sigfrido. In English, this movie was known as The Dragon's Blood.
By 1963, he became a full-time special effects artist. He worked with many famous Italian directors. These included Mario Bava, Federico Fellini, and Dario Argento. He helped create amazing creatures and effects for many movies.
His work was so realistic that sometimes people thought his creations were real! In one case, his special effects were so convincing that he had to show his movie props in a courtroom. He proved that the scary scenes were made with his amazing creations, not real animals. This showed just how talented he was at making things look alive.
Carlo Rambaldi's last movie credit was in 1988 for the horror film Primal Rage. His son, Vittorio, directed this movie. Later, computer-generated special effects became very popular. Rambaldi felt that these new effects lacked the "mystery" and "charm" of handmade creations. He believed that the special touch of an artist could create emotions that computers couldn't. He said that the tender expression in E.T.'s eyes, for example, came from an artisan's skill.
Personal Life and Legacy
Carlo Rambaldi was married to Bruna Basso. They had a son named Vittorio and a daughter named Daniela. Sadly, another son, Alessandro, passed away at 33 years old.
Carlo Rambaldi died on August 10, 2012, after a long illness. He was 86 years old. He had moved to Lamezia Terme, Calabria, to be closer to his daughter and grandchildren. His ashes were buried in his family tomb in Vigarano Mainarda, next to his son Alessandro. His incredible work continues to inspire filmmakers and artists today.
Amazing Movies with Carlo Rambaldi's Effects
Carlo Rambaldi worked on many films. Here are some of the most famous ones:
| Title | Year | Credited as | Notes | Ref(s) | |
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| Special effects | Other | ||||
| Dragon's Blood | 1957 | Yes | Dragon creator | ||
| Goliath and the Dragon | 1960 | Yes | Special make-up effects | ||
| The Giants of Thessaly | Yes | ||||
| Fire Monsters Against the Son of Hercules | 1962 | Yes | |||
| Medusa Against the Son of Hercules | 1963 | Yes | |||
| Bloody Pit of Horror | 1965 | Yes | |||
| Danger: Diabolik | 1968 | Yes | Set designer | ||
| Lady Frankenstein | 1971 | Yes | |||
| The Night of the Devils | 1972 | Yes | |||
| Frankenstein '80 | Yes | ||||
| Tragic Ceremony | Yes | ||||
| Flesh for Frankenstein | 1973 | Yes | |||
| The Hand That Feeds the Dead | 1974 | Yes | |||
| Blood for Dracula | Yes | ||||
| Deep Red | 1975 | Yes | |||
| King Kong | 1976 | Yes | Kong design and engineering | ||
| The White Buffalo | 1977 | Yes | Consultant on buffalo sequences | ||
| Close Encounters of the Third Kind | Yes | Realization of "extraterrestrial" | |||
| Alien | 1979 | Yes | 'Alien' head effect | ||
| Nightwing | Yes | Special visual effects | |||
| The Hand | 1981 | Yes | Special visual effects | ||
| Possession | 1981 | Yes | |||
| E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial | 1982 | Yes | Creator of E.T. | ||
| Conan the Destroyer | 1984 | Yes | Creator of Dagoth | ||
| Dune | Yes | Creature creator | |||
| Cat's Eye | 1985 | Yes | Creature creator | ||
| Silver Bullet | Yes | Creature creator | |||
Awards and Recognition
Carlo Rambaldi won many awards for his incredible work in special effects.
Academy Awards (Oscars)
- 1977: Special Achievement Academy Award for Best Visual Effects for King Kong (1976). He shared this with Glen Robinson and Frank Van der Veer.
- 1980: Academy Award for Best Visual Effects for Alien (1979). He shared this with H. R. Giger, Brian Johnson, Nick Allder, and Dennis Ayling.
- 1983: Academy Award for Best Visual Effects for E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982). He shared this with Dennis Muren and Kenneth F. Smith.
Other Important Awards
- 1982: Special Award from the Los Angeles Film Critics Association for all his amazing work.
- 1983: Saturn Award for Best Special Effects for E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982). He shared this with Dennis Muren.
- 1985: Special Award from MystFest for his entire career.
- 2000: Outstanding Achievement Award for Best Special Effects from the Los Angeles Italian Film Awards.
- 2002: Special David Award from the David di Donatello Awards (Italy's top film awards).
See also
In Spanish: Carlo Rambaldi para niños
