Fred Sersen (February 24, 1890 – December 11, 1962) was an American painter and cinema
special effects artist working mainly at
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 ...
Studios from the 1930s to the 1950s with credits in over 200 movies. He won two
Academy Awards
The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...
for Best Effects, Special Effects (photographic), in 1940 for ''
The Rains Came
''The Rains Came'' is a 1939 20th Century Fox film based on an American novel by Louis Bromfield (published in June 1937 by Harper & Brothers). The film was directed by Clarence Brown and stars Myrna Loy, Tyrone Power, George Brent, Brenda ...
'', and in 1944 for ''
Crash Dive
A crash dive is a maneuver by a submarine in which the vessel submerges as quickly as possible to avoid attack. Crash diving from the surface to avoid attack has been largely rendered obsolete with the advent of nuclear-powered submarines, as they ...
''. An artificial lake created for the former film was named in his honor.
[Allmovie]
Biography
Fred Sersen was born Ferdinand Metoděj Sršeň, February 24, 1890, in
Veselí nad Moravou
Veselí nad Moravou (, german: Wessely/Wesseli (an der March)) is a town in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 11,000 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban monument z ...
,
then a part of Austria-Hungary, At the age of 17 he moved to the United States. He studied art at the Los Angeles School of Art and Design, the Portland Art Academy, and the San Francisco Institute of Art. His first credited film was ''A Connecticut Yankee'' (1931). In 1937 he recreated the
1871 Great Chicago Fire
The Great Chicago Fire was a conflagration that burned in the American city of Chicago during October 8–10, 1871. The fire killed approximately 300 people, destroyed roughly of the city including over 17,000 structures, and left more than 1 ...
on the screen for the film ''
In Old Chicago
''In Old Chicago'' is a 1938 American disaster musical drama film directed by Henry King. The screenplay by Sonya Levien and Lamar Trotti was based on the Niven Busch story, "We the O'Learys". The film is a fictionalized account about the G ...
''. Other notable effects for which he is credited include the fire in ''
Hangover Square
''Hangover Square'' is a 1941 novel by English playwright and novelist Patrick Hamilton. It follows the schizophrenic alcoholic George Harvey Bone and his tortured love for Netta Longdon in the months leading up to the Second World War. Subtit ...
'', the flying saucer in ''
The Day the Earth Stood Still
''The Day the Earth Stood Still'' (a.k.a. ''Farewell to the Master'' and ''Journey to the World'') is a 1951 American science fiction film from 20th Century Fox, produced by Julian Blaustein and directed by Robert Wise. It stars Michael Re ...
'', and the sinking of the ship in ''
Titanic
RMS ''Titanic'' was a British passenger liner, operated by the White Star Line, which sank in the North Atlantic Ocean on 15 April 1912 after striking an iceberg during her maiden voyage from Southampton, England, to New York City, Unit ...
''.
He died December 11, 1962 in Los Angeles, California.
Awards
References
*
External links
*
Entry at askart.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sersen, Fred
1890 births
1962 deaths
Best Visual Effects Academy Award winners
Special effects people
Austro-Hungarian emigrants to the United States
People from Veselí nad Moravou