Dennis Muren

From building miniatures of the Millennium Falcon for the first "Star Wars" film (1977), to using computer graphics to create the shape-shifting cyborg in "Terminator 2: Judgment Day" (1991), to bringing to life the most realistic dinosaurs ever before seen onscreen in "The Lost World: Jurassic Park" (1997), Dennis Muren used both models and computers to create cinematic fantasy for more than a generation. In fact, Muren's Oscar-winning work bridged the gap between the stiff, rubbery B-movie creatures of the past to the slick, stylized computer-generated imagery that later saturated multiplexes. Having won more than 13 Academy Awards for special effects - mostly through his work at Industrial Light & Magic - Muren led the pack in cutting edge visual effects techniques. Despite his pioneering work in CGI, however, Muren remained a critic of soulless effects work, insisting that artistry must always triumph over technology.