Frank Willard Van der Veer (June 2, 1921 – January 7, 1982) was an American

optical Optics is the branch of physics that studies the behaviour and properties of light, including its interactions with matter and the construction of instruments that use or detect it. Optics usually describes the behaviour of visible, ultravio ...

and

visual The visual system comprises the sensory organ (the eye) and parts of the central nervous system (the retina containing photoreceptor cells, the optic nerve, the optic tract and the visual cortex) which gives organisms the sense of sight (th ...

special effects artist who won (and shared) a Special Achievement Academy Award at the

49th Academy Awards The 49th Academy Awards were presented Monday, March 28, 1977, at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles, California. The ceremonies were presided over by Richard Pryor, Ellen Burstyn, Jane Fonda, and Warren Beatty. ''Network'' and '' Al ...

for Best Visual Effects for the film ''

King Kong King Kong is a fictional giant monster resembling a gorilla, who has appeared in various media since 1933. He has been dubbed The Eighth Wonder of the World, a phrase commonly used within the franchise. His first appearance was in the novelizat ...

'' (1976). His career spanned over three decades from the 1950s until his death in the early 1980s, having participated in the Hollywood special effects industry with such other films as ''

The Towering Inferno ''The Towering Inferno'' is a 1974 American disaster film directed by John Guillermin and produced by Irwin Allen, featuring an ensemble cast led by Paul Newman and Steve McQueen. It was adapted by Stirling Silliphant from the novels '' The Towe ...

'' (1974), '' Killer Bees'' (1974), '' Logan's Run'' (1976), '' Star Wars'' (1977), '' 1941'' (1979), '' Flash Gordon'' (1980), '' Clash of the Titans'' (1981) and ''

Conan the Barbarian Conan the Barbarian (also known as Conan the Cimmerian) is a fictional sword and sorcery hero who originated in pulp magazines and has since been adapted to books, comics, films (including '' Conan the Barbarian'' and '' Conan the Destroyer'') ...

'' (1982). Frank Van der Veer was the son of the American cinematographer Willard Van der Veer (1894–1963).

Biography

Frank Van der Veer was a veteran of

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 ...

. After the war he began his career in the 1950s working for the

Warner Brothers Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. D ...

and

20th Century Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm of Walt Dis ...

special effects departments. Then, a few years later, on August 13, 1963, he founded Van Der Veer Photo Effects with partner Bill Dorney, after having apprenticed with Bill Abbott from 1950 to 1957 in the 20th Century Fox studios. In 1977, he won a Special Achievement Academy Award for ''

'' (1976). This award was shared with

Carlo Rambaldi Carlo Rambaldi (September 15, 1925 – August 10, 2012) was an Italian special effects artist, winner of three Oscars: one Special Achievement Academy Award for Best Visual Effects in 1977 for the 1976 version of ''King Kong'' and two Acade ...

and Glen Robinson. Frank's father, Willard Van der Veer, had also won an Oscar, 47 years before. That was on November 5, 1930, at the 3rd Academy Awards, for Best Cinematography for the film '' With Byrd at the South Pole'' with Joseph T. Rucker. In the time he ran his company, Van der Veer worked both for the television and film industries. For the television medium, he contributed in the effects of the original ''Star Trek'' series (1966) and, in 1978, he was nominated for an Emmy for his work on '' The Return of Captain Nemo''. Van Der Veer Photo Effects worked on lightsabres for the movie '' Star Wars'' (1977)''.'' Frank Van der Veer died on January 7, 1982. He was buried at the Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale, Los Angeles County,

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 ...

. His company, Van Der Veer Photo Effects, survived him for 15 years more until it was dissolved on October 4, 1997.''Wysk B2B Data Hub'': Van Der Veer Photo Effects' profile
(archived link)

Selected filmography

Credited as Frank Van der Veer

* '' Killer Bees'' (1974, TV movie, special optical effects) * '' Logan's Run'' (1976, additional visuals) * ''

'' (1976, supervisor of photographic effects) * ''

Orca The orca or killer whale (''Orcinus orca'') is a toothed whale belonging to the oceanic dolphin family, of which it is the largest member. It is the only extant species in the genus '' Orcinus'' and is recognizable by its black-and-white ...

'' (1977, photographic effects supervisor) * ''

The Manitou ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

'' (1978, photographic optical effects supervisor) * ''

Hurricane A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system characterized by a low-pressure center, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depend ...

'' (1979, supervisor of photographic effects) * '' 1941'' (1979, blue screen consultant) * '' Flash Gordon'' (1980, supervisor: special photographic effects) * '' Clash of the Titans'' (1981, special opticals) * ''

'' (1982, special visual effects)

Credited as Van der Veer Photo Effects

* ''

Star Trek: The Original Series ''Star Trek'' is an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry that follows the adventures of the starship and its crew. It later acquired the retronym of ''Star Trek: The Original Series'' (''TOS'') to distinguis ...

'' (in end credits) * '' Star Wars'' (1977, additional optical effects – miniature and optical effects unit) * ''

The Empire Strikes Back ''The Empire Strikes Back'' (also known as ''Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back'') is a 1980 American epic space opera film directed by Irvin Kershner from a screenplay by Leigh Brackett and Lawrence Kasdan, based on a stor ...

'' (1980, additional optical effects)

Van Der Veer Photo Effects selected filmography (after Van Der Veer died)

* ''

Tron ''Tron'' (stylized as ''TRON'') is a 1982 American science fiction action- adventure film written and directed by Steven Lisberger from a story by Lisberger and Bonnie MacBird. The film stars Jeff Bridges as Kevin Flynn, a computer programmer ...

'' (1982, additional animation compositing camera) * ''

Return of the Jedi ''Return of the Jedi'' (also known as ''Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi'' is a 1983 American epic space opera film directed by Richard Marquand. The screenplay is by Lawrence Kasdan and George Lucas from a story by Lucas, who ...

'' (1983, additional optical effects) * '' Twilight Zone: The Movie'' (1983, additional optical effects, segment 4, uncredited) * '' The Man Who Wasn't There'' (1983, opticals) * '' The Bounty'' (1984, opticals, credited as "Frank Van der Veer Labs") * '' Conan the Destroyer'' (1984, titles and opticals) * ''

The Last Starfighter ''The Last Starfighter'' is a 1984 American space opera film directed by Nick Castle. The film tells the story of Alex Rogan ( Lance Guest), a teenager recruited by an alien defense force to fight in an interstellar war. It also features Robe ...

'' (1984, optical effects) * ''

Red Sonja Red Sonja is a fictional sword and sorcery comic-book superheroine created by writer Roy Thomas and artist Barry Windsor-Smith for Marvel Comics in 1973, partially inspired by Robert E. Howard's character Red Sonya of Rogatino. Marvel Comics p ...

'' (1985, titles and opticals) * '' Raw Deal'' (1986, titles and opticals) * '' Blue Velvet'' (1986, titles and opticals) * '' Superman IV: The Quest for Peace'' (1987, opticals) * '' Russkies'' (1987, titles and opticals) * '' After Midnight'' (1989, additional optical effects) * '' Catchfire'' (1990, titles and opticals) * '' Tales from the Darkside: The Movie'' (1990, optical effects) * ''

The Dark Backward ''The Dark Backward'' (also known as ''The Man with Three Arms'') is a 1991 American satirical comedy film written and directed by Adam Rifkin, and starring Judd Nelson, Bill Paxton, Wayne Newton, and Lara Flynn Boyle. The film features specia ...

'' (1991, montage opticals) * '' Love Crimes'' (1992, titles and opticals, credited as "Van der Veer Visual Effects")

References

External links

*
Van Der Veer Photo Effects
at the

Internet Movie Database IMDb (an abbreviation of Internet Movie Database) is an online database of information related to films, television series, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and personal biographies, ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Van der Veer, Frank 1921 births 1982 deaths American film people Special effects people Visual effects supervisors Special Achievement Academy Award winners Artists from New York City American military personnel of World War II Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale)