The Artists Behind Iconic Sci-Fi Films

These are the incredible visual artists who are responsible for your favorite sci-fi films.

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Complex Original

Image via Complex Original

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George Lucas, Stanley Kubrick, Steven Spielberg, Ridley Scott, and James Cameron are familiar names to even the most casual of sci-fi movie fans. And they should be; collectively, this crew has mounted some of the most iconic movies in the history of the genre. But behind the scenes, there are scores of visual effects artists who play an essential role in creating these worlds set in a galaxy far, far away whose names you likely don't know. Until now.

As the X-Men battle Godzilla for this summer's box office domination, we're paying tribute to The Artists Behind Iconic Sci-Fi Films.

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Seb Caudron for The City of Lost Children

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Art Cruickshank for The Black Hole

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Joe Letteri for The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

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Jim Rygiel for Godzilla

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Year released: 2014

Jim Rygiel has been at the forefront of the digital effects industry for more than 30 years. Nearly 10 years after getting his start at Pacific Electric Pictures, a pioneer of computer animation technology, Rygiel was charged with establishing a computer animation department for Boss Film Studios, where he supervised such films as Starship Troopers, Species, The Last Action Hero, Batman Returns, and Alien3. He has remained one of the industry’s most in-demand visual effects artists. Most recently, he acted as the visual effects supervisor of Gareth Edwards’ Godzilla reboot.

Eric Barba for The Fifth Element

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Tim Webber for Gravity

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Neil Krepela for E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial

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Brian Johnson for Aliens

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Harrison Ellenshaw for TRON

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Phil Tippett for RoboCop

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L.B. Abbott for Logan's Run

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Albert Whitlock for The Thing

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Richard Edlund for The Empire Strikes Back

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Year released: 1980

As a key member of George Lucas’ Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) team, Richard Edlund’s many contributions to the now-legendary franchise cannot be overlooked—specifically for his visual effects work on the series’ second entry, which earned him his second Oscar just three years after winning his first (for Star Wars, of course). But those films were only the beginning for Edlund. In 1983, he founded Boss Film Studios, a visual effects company which earned an additional 10 Oscar nominations over its 14-year life for projects like 2010, Ghostbusters, Die Hard, and Alien3.

Jonathan Erland for Spaceballs

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Matthew Yuricich for Blade Runner

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Peter Ellenshaw for 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea

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John Dykstra for Star Trek: The Motion Picture

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Dennis Muren for Star Wars

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Douglas Trumbull for 2001: A Space Odyssey

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Ray Harryhausen for Clash of the Titans

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