Fred Sersen (February 24, 1890 – December 11, 1962) was an American painter and cinema

special effect Special effects (often abbreviated as F/X or simply FX) are illusions or visual tricks used in the theatre, film, television, video game, amusement park and simulator industries to simulate the fictional events in a story or virtual world. ...

s artist working mainly at

20th Century Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc., formerly 20th Century Fox, is an American film studio, film production and Film distributor, distribution company owned by the Walt Disney Studios (division), Walt Disney Studios, the film studios division of the ...

Studios from the 1930s to the 1950s with credits in over 200 movies. He won two

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 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, Bren ...

'', 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 th ...

''. 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 (, ) 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 as an urban monument zone. Administrative division Veselí nad Mor ...

, 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, Illinois during October 8–10, 1871. The fire killed approximately 300 people, destroyed roughly of the city including over 17,000 structures, and left mor ...

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 ...

''. 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 alcoholic George Harvey Bone (who has a dissociative identity disorder) and his tortured love for Netta Longdon in the months leading up to ...

'', the flying saucer in ''

The Day the Earth Stood Still ''The Day the Earth Stood Still'' is a 1951 American science fiction film from 20th Century Fox, produced by Julian Blaustein and directed by Robert Wise. It stars Michael Rennie, Patricia Neal, Hugh Marlowe, Sam Jaffe, Billy Gray, F ...

'', and the sinking of the ship in ''

Titanic RMS ''Titanic'' was a British ocean liner that sank in the early hours of 15 April 1912 as a result of striking an iceberg on her maiden voyage from Southampton, England, to New York City, United States. Of the estimated 2,224 passengers a ...

''. He died December 11, 1962, in Los Angeles, California.

Awards

References

External links

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Entry at askart.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sersen, Fred 1890 births 1962 deaths Best Visual Effects Academy Award winners American special effects people Emigrants from Austria-Hungary to the United States People from Veselí nad Moravou