Robert A. Mattey (June 27, 1910 – January 14, 1993) was an American special effects artist who was nominated at the 34th

Academy Awards The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence in ...

for the film ''

The Absent-Minded Professor ''The Absent-Minded Professor'' is a 1961 American science fiction comedy film directed by Robert Stevenson and produced by Walt Disney Productions. It is based on the 1943 short story "A Situation of Gravity" (May 22, 1943 ''Liberty'') by ...

''. His nomination was shared with

Eustace Lycett Eustace Lycett (21 December 1914 – 16 November 2006) was a British special effects artist who worked on attractions at Disneyland from the 1960s, such as Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln and Rocket to the Moon, as well as contributing to Disne ...

. He joined

Walt Disney Imagineering Walt Disney Imagineering Research & Development, Inc.—commonly referred to as Walt Disney Imagineering, Imagineering, or WDI—is the research and development arm of The Walt Disney Company, responsible for the creation, design, and construc ...

when Disneyland was first being created as head of the Mechanical Effects Department. Mattey is most famously known for his creation of the three

animatronic An animatronic is a puppet controlled electronically to move in a fluent way. Animatronics are the modern adaptation of the automaton and are often used for the portrayal of characters in films, video games and in theme park attractions. Anim ...

sharks used in the production of Jaws (1975), with a production cost of around $150,000 each. The mechanical shark was nicknamed "Bruce" because

Steven Spielberg Steven Allan Spielberg ( ; born December 18, 1946) is an American filmmaker. A major figure of the New Hollywood era and pioneer of the modern blockbuster, Spielberg is widely regarded as one of the greatest film directors of all time and is ...

’s divorce lawyer’s name was Bruce Raiman. This is also what inspired the name for the

Great white shark The great white shark (''Carcharodon carcharias''), also known as the white shark, white pointer, or simply great white, is a species of large Lamniformes, mackerel shark which can be found in the coastal surface waters of all the major ocea ...

, Bruce, in

Finding Nemo ''Finding Nemo'' is a 2003 American animated comedy-drama adventure film produced by Pixar Animation Studios for Walt Disney Pictures. The film was directed by Andrew Stanton, co-directed by Lee Unkrich, and produced by Graham Walters, from ...

(2003). He was also one of the designers of the Disneyland animatronic characters on attractions like

Jungle Cruise Jungle Cruise, formally named Jungle River Cruise, and currently named Jungle Cruise: Wildlife Expeditions, is a riverboat amusement ride located in the Adventureland themed section at various Disney theme parks worldwide. The attraction is a ...

, Mine Train Through Nature’s Wonderland,

Haunted Mansion Haunted Mansion may also refer to: *Haunted house, house or other structure inhabited by disembodied spirits *Haunted attraction (simulated), a type of amusement attraction Disney * The Haunted Mansion, a dark ride attraction located at multiple ...

, and the 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea walk-through attraction. When Disneyland opened in 1955, Robert Mattey was given a dedication window on Main Street U.S.A. located on the second floor of the ''Market House''. The window states "''Bob Mattey - Taxidermist''."

Selected filmography

*''

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea ''Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas'' () is a science fiction adventure novel by the French writer Jules Verne. It is considered a classic within its genres and world literature. It was originally serialised from March 1869 to June 1870 i ...

'' (1954) *''

'' (1961) *'' Babes in Toyland'' (1961) *''

Son of Flubber ''Son of Flubber'' is a 1963 American science fiction comedy film directed by Robert Stevenson and produced by Walt Disney Productions. It is the sequel to ''The Absent-Minded Professor'' (1961) and the first sequel to a Disney film. Fred MacMu ...

'' (1963) *''

Mary Poppins Mary Poppins may refer to: * Mary Poppins (character), a nanny with magical powers * Mary Poppins (franchise), based on the fictional nanny ** Mary Poppins (book series), ''Mary Poppins'' (book series), the original 1934–1988 children's fanta ...

'' (1964) *''

The Monkey's Uncle ''The Monkey's Uncle'' is a 1965 American comedy film starring Tommy Kirk as genius college student Merlin Jones and Annette Funicello (former Mouseketeer from ''The Mickey Mouse Club'') as his girlfriend, Jennifer. The title plays on the idio ...

'' (1965) *''

Lt. Robin Crusoe, U.S.N. ''Lt. Robin Crusoe U.S.N.'' is a 1966 American comedy film released by Walt Disney Productions,Zibart, Eve: "Today in History Disney", Emmis Books, 2006, and starring Dick Van Dyke as a U.S. Navy pilot who becomes a castaway on a tropical isl ...

'' (1966) *''

The Gnome-Mobile ''The Gnome-Mobile'' is a 1967 American fantasy comedy film directed by Robert Stevenson and produced by Walt Disney Productions. Based on the 1936 book ''The Gnomobile'' by Upton Sinclair, it was one of the last films personally supervised by W ...

'' (1967) *''

Blackbeard's Ghost ''Blackbeard's Ghost'' is a 1968 American fantasy comedy film directed by Robert Stevenson and starring Peter Ustinov, Dean Jones, and Suzanne Pleshette. It was produced by Walt Disney Productions and Bill Walsh. It is based upon the 1965 ...

'' (1968) *''

The Love Bug ''The Love Bug'' (also known as Herbie the Love Bug) is a 1968 American sports film, sports adventure film, adventure comedy film directed by Robert Stevenson (director), Robert Stevenson from a screenplay by Bill Walsh (producer), Bill Walsh a ...

'' (1968) *''

The Barefoot Executive ''The Barefoot Executive'' (also known as ''The Rating Game'') is a 1971 American comedy film starring Kurt Russell, Joe Flynn (American actor), Joe Flynn, Wally Cox, Heather North, Harry Morgan and John Ritter (in his film debut). The plot conce ...

'' (1971) *''

Scandalous John ''Scandalous John'' is a 1971 American Western comedy-drama film directed by Robert Butler and produced by Walt Disney Productions. It stars Brian Keith and Alfonso Arau. The music was scored by Rod McKuen. Plot John McCanless is a rip-snorting, ...

'' (1971) *'' Jaws'' (1975) *''

Jaws 2 ''Jaws 2'' is a 1978 American horror thriller film directed by Jeannot Szwarc and co-written by Carl Gottlieb. It is the sequel to Steven Spielberg's '' Jaws'' (1975), and the second installment in the ''Jaws'' franchise. The film stars Roy ...

'' (1978)

References

External links

* American special effects people 1910 births 1993 deaths People from New Jersey Disney imagineers {{US-film-bio-stub