A. D. Flowers (February 22, 1917July 5, 2001) was an American special effects artist best known for his work on '' Tora! Tora! Tora!,'' which won him an Academy Award for Best Visual Effects at the 43rd Academy Awards. He was also a credited special effects artist for ''

The Godfather ''The Godfather'' is a 1972 American crime film directed by Francis Ford Coppola, who co-wrote the screenplay with Mario Puzo, based on Puzo's best-selling 1969 novel of the same title. The film stars Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caa ...

'' and ''

Apocalypse Now ''Apocalypse Now'' is a 1979 American epic war film produced and directed by Francis Ford Coppola. The screenplay, co-written by Coppola, John Milius and Michael Herr, is loosely based on the 1899 novella '' Heart of Darkness'' by Joseph ...

''. Flowers was born in

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

, and raised in Oklahoma. After graduating from high school, he relocated to

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

. There, he began an entry-level job at

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and abbreviated as MGM, is an American film, television production, distribution and media company owned by Amazon through MGM Holdings, founded on April 17, 1924 ...

. He served in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

on . After being discharged from the service, he returned to

and continued to work in the film industry. He died at age 84 from complications of emphysema and pneumonia.

Academy Awards

All three were in the category of Best Visual Effects, with one being a Special Achievement win. * 43rd Academy Awards – '' Tora! Tora! Tora!'' (shared with L. B. Abbott). *

45th Academy Awards The 45th Academy Awards were presented Tuesday, March 27, 1973, at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles, California, honoring the best films of 1972. The ceremonies were presided over by Carol Burnett, Michael Caine, Charlton Heston ...

– '' The Poseidon Adventure''. Shared with L. B. Abbott. This was a Special Achievement Academy Award. *

52nd Academy Awards The 52nd Academy Awards ceremony, organized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honored films released in 1979 and took place on April 14, 1980, at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles beginning at 6:00 p ...

– Nominated for '' 1941''. Nomination shared with William A. Fraker and Gregory Jein. Lost to '' Alien''.

References

External links

* 1917 births 2001 deaths People from Hillsboro, Texas Special Achievement Academy Award winners Best Visual Effects Academy Award winners Special effects people Deaths from pneumonia in California Academy Award for Technical Achievement winners {{US-film-bio-stub