Kit West (6 February 1936 – 17 April 2016) was a British

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 who was most known for his work in ''

Raiders of the Lost Ark ''Raiders of the Lost Ark'' is a 1981 American action-adventure film directed by Steven Spielberg and written by Lawrence Kasdan, based on a story by George Lucas and Philip Kaufman. Set in 1936, the film stars Harrison Ford as Indiana ...

'', ''

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 from a screenplay by Lawrence Kasdan and George Lucas. The sequel to '' The Empire ...

'' and ''

Dune A dune is a landform composed of wind- or water-driven sand. It typically takes the form of a mound, ridge, or hill. An area with dunes is called a dune system or a dune complex. A large dune complex is called a dune field, while broad, flat ...

''.

Early life

Born in London, his early films were government and military training films produced by Realist Film Unit. He served two years in the British Army, where he gained experience in pyrotechnics.

Oscar history

All these were for Best Visual Effects. * 1981 Academy Awards-''

'', award shared with Richard Edlund, Joe Johnston and Bruce Nicholson. Won the Oscar. * 1985 Academy Awards-''

Young Sherlock Holmes ''Young Sherlock Holmes'' (also known with the title card name of ''Young Sherlock Holmes and the Pyramid of Fear'') is a 1985 American mystery adventure film directed by Barry Levinson and written by Chris Columbus, based on the characters ...

'', nomination shared with David W. Allen, John R. Ellis and

Dennis Muren Dennis Muren, A.S.C (born November 1, 1946) is an American film visual effects artist and supervisor. He has worked on the films of George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, and James Cameron, among others, and has won nine Oscars in total: eight for Bes ...

. Lost to '' Cocoon''. * 1996 Academy Awards-''

Dragonheart ''Dragonheart'' (stylized as ''DragonHeart'') is a 1996 fantasy adventure film directed by Rob Cohen and written by Charles Edward Pogue, based on a story created by him and Patrick Read Johnson. The film stars Dennis Quaid, David Thewlis, ...

'', nomination shared with Scott Squires, James Straus and Phil Tippett. Lost to ''

Independence Day An independence day is an annual event memorialization, commemorating the anniversary of a nation's independence or Sovereign state, statehood, usually after ceasing to be a group or part of another nation or state, or after the end of a milit ...

''.

BAFTA award

1983 1983 saw both the official beginning of the Internet and the first mobile cellular telephone call. Events January * January 1 – The migration of the ARPANET to TCP/IP is officially completed (this is considered to be the beginning of the ...

–''

''-for Best Special Effects-Won, shared with Richard Edlund,

and Ken Ralston.

Death

West died on 17 April 2016 and was cremated at Mortlake Crematorium.

References

External links

* 1936 births 2016 deaths Best Visual Effects Academy Award winners Best Visual Effects BAFTA Award winners British special effects people Place of death missing {{UK-film-bio-stub