N. Brock Winkless IV (October 12, 1959 – July 18, 2015)
N. Brock Winkless IV
/ref> was an American puppeteer
A puppeteer is a person who manipulates an inanimate object, called a puppet, to create the illusion that the puppet is alive. The puppet is often shaped like a human, animal, or legendary creature. The puppeteer may be visible to or hidden from ...
and visual effects
Visual effects (sometimes abbreviated VFX) is the process by which imagery is created or manipulated outside the context of
a live-action shot in filmmaking and video production.
The integration of live-action footage and other live-action foota ...
technician. He was the puppeteer of Chucky in the 1988 horror film, '' Child's Play'', and its first three sequels., as well as the puppeteer of the Crypt Keeper in several episodes of the HBO
Home Box Office (HBO) is an American premium television network, which is the flagship property of namesake parent subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is ba ...
television series
A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite television, satellite, or cable television, cable, excluding breaking news, television adverti ...
, ''Tales from the Crypt
Tales from the Crypt may refer to:
* ''Tales from the Crypt'' (album), by American rapper C-Bo
* ''Tales from the Crypt'' (comics), published by EC Comics during the 1950s
** ''Tales from the Crypt'' (film), a 1972 Amicus film starring Ralph Ric ...
''.[
]
Career
He was known for his attention to detail on his puppets and other creations. ''Make-Up Artist Magazine'' noted that Winkless "was one of the few people who understood and excelled at lipsyncing a puppet's mouth and jaw movements, which made him invaluable for projects such as the Child's Play series, as well as the Crypt Keeper character from the Tales from the Crypt television show."[
Winkless frequently collaborated with ]Kevin Yagher
Kevin Yagher (born June 23, 1962) is an American special effects technician, known for Freddy Krueger's makeup and The Crypt Keeper creature.
Career
His company, Kevin Yagher Productions, has created effects for '' A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: ...
, a film director
A film director controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfilment of that vision. The director has a key role in choosing the cast members, p ...
and make-up artist
A make-up artist, also called a makeup artist, and often shortened to MUA, is an artist whose medium is the human body, applying makeup and prosthetics on others for theatre, television, film, fashion, magazines and other similar productions inc ...
, including the ''Child's Play'' series, the Crypt Keeper, and '' Honey, I Blew Up the Kid''.[ Winkless also partnered with Stan Winston Studio, AnimatedFX Inc., which is owned by Dave Nelson and Norman Tempia, and Rick Baker's Cinovation Studios for make-up and visual effects during his career.][
Winkless was best known as the lead puppeteer of Chucky, the evil, murderous doll in '' Child's Play''.][ He was also credited as one of Chucky's puppeteers on several sequels in the Child's Play franchise, including '' Child's Play 2'' in 1990, '']Child's Play 3
''Child's Play 3'' is a 1991 American slasher film and the third installment in the '' Child's Play'' film series. The film is written by Don Mancini and directed by Jack Bender. Brad Dourif once again reprised his role as Chucky from the previou ...
'' in 1991, and ''Bride of Chucky
''Bride of Chucky'' is a 1998 American black comedy slasher film written by Don Mancini and directed by Ronny Yu. The fourth installment in the ''Child's Play'' franchise, it stars Jennifer Tilly, Brad Dourif, John Ritter, Katherine Heigl, and Ni ...
'' in 1998.[ Winkless was also the puppeteer of the Crypt Keeper in the television series, '']Tales from the Crypt
Tales from the Crypt may refer to:
* ''Tales from the Crypt'' (album), by American rapper C-Bo
* ''Tales from the Crypt'' (comics), published by EC Comics during the 1950s
** ''Tales from the Crypt'' (film), a 1972 Amicus film starring Ralph Ric ...
'' and its related film, '' Tales from the Crypt Presents: Demon Knight'' in 1995.[ He also performed the ]puppetry
Puppetry is a form of theatre or performance that involves the manipulation of puppets – inanimate objects, often resembling some type of human or animal figure, that are animated or manipulated by a human called a puppeteer. Such a perform ...
for The Crypt Keeper's cameo appearance
A cameo role, also called a cameo appearance and often shortened to just cameo (), is a brief appearance of a well-known person in a work of the performing arts. These roles are generally small, many of them non-speaking ones, and are commonly eit ...
in 1995's ''Casper
Casper may refer to:
People
* Casper (given name)
* Casper (surname)
* Casper (Maya ruler) (422–487?), ruler of the Mayan city of Palenque
* Tok Casper, first known king of Maya city-state Quiriguá in Guatemala, ruling beginning in 426
* David ...
''.[
Aside from Chucky and The Crypt Keeper, Winkless was a puppeteer during the productions of '' Honey, I Blew Up the Kid'' in 1992, '' Death Becomes Her'' in 1992, '' Man's Best Friend'' in 1993, '']Congo
Congo or The Congo may refer to either of two countries that border the Congo River in central Africa:
* Democratic Republic of the Congo, the larger country to the southeast, capital Kinshasa, formerly known as Zaire, sometimes referred to a ...
'' in 1995, ''The X-Files
''The X-Files'' is an American science fiction on television, science fiction drama (film and television), drama television series created by Chris Carter (screenwriter), Chris Carter. The series revolves around Federal Bureau of Investigation ...
'', and ''Dr. Dolittle 2
''Dr. Dolittle 2'' (also known as ''Doctor Dolittle 2'') is a 2001 American fantasy comedy film and a sequel to the 1998 film ''Dr. Dolittle''. It was written by Larry Levin, one of the co-writers of ''Dr. Dolittle'', and directed by Steve Carr. ...
'' in 2001.[
Winkless was a member of the mechanical department for ]James Cameron
James Francis Cameron (born August 16, 1954) is a Canadian filmmaker. A major figure in the post-New Hollywood era, he is considered one of the industry's most innovative filmmakers, regularly pushing the boundaries of cinematic capability w ...
's 1991 film, '' Terminator 2: Judgment Day'', starring Arnold Schwarzenegger
Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger (born July 30, 1947) is an Austrian and American actor, film producer, businessman, retired professional bodybuilder and politician who served as the 38th governor of California between 2003 and 2011. ''Time'' ...
.[ He also worked on the ]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 (the ...
and special effects for ''Meet the Applegates
''Meet the Applegates'' (released in the Philippines and the United States as ''The Applegates'') is a 1990 American science fiction horror black comedy film directed by Michael Lehmann. It was filmed during 1988-89, but not released in the Unite ...
'' in 1990, '' Alien 3'' in 1992, and '' Children of the Corn III: Urban Harvest'' in 1995.[
]
Death
Winkless died from complications of multiple sclerosis
Multiple (cerebral) sclerosis (MS), also known as encephalomyelitis disseminata or disseminated sclerosis, is the most common demyelinating disease, in which the insulating covers of nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord are damaged. This d ...
in Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
, on July 18, 2015, at the age of 55.[ He had suffered from a loss of muscle control due to the condition for more than 15 years.][
]
Filmography
*''Mac and Me
''Mac and Me'' is a 1988 American comic science fiction film cowritten (with Steve Feke) and directed by Stewart Raffill. Starring Christine Ebersole, Jonathan Ward, and Tina Caspary alongside Lauren Stanley and Jade Calegory, it centers on a "M ...
'' (1988) - Alien Puppeteer
*'' Child's Play'' (1988) - Puppeteer of Chucky
*'' Child's Play 2'' (1990) - Puppeteer of Chucky
*''Meet the Applegates
''Meet the Applegates'' (released in the Philippines and the United States as ''The Applegates'') is a 1990 American science fiction horror black comedy film directed by Michael Lehmann. It was filmed during 1988-89, but not released in the Unite ...
'' - Creature effects
*'' Terminator 2: Judgment Day'' (1991) - Mechanical department
*''And You Thought Your Parents Were Weird
''And You Thought Your Parents Were Weird'' is a 1991 science fiction family film written and directed by Tony Cookson; foreign language releases were titled ''RoboDad''.
Plot
Two boys, Joshua (Joshua John Miller) and Max (Edan Gross) attempt to ...
'' (1991) - Robot builder
*''Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey
''Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey'' is a 1991 American science fiction comedy film, and the feature directorial debut of Pete Hewitt. It is the second film in the ''Bill & Ted'' franchise, and a sequel to ''Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure'' (1989). ...
'' (1991) - Puppeteer
*''Child's Play 3
''Child's Play 3'' is a 1991 American slasher film and the third installment in the '' Child's Play'' film series. The film is written by Don Mancini and directed by Jack Bender. Brad Dourif once again reprised his role as Chucky from the previou ...
'' (1991) - Puppeteer of Chucky
*'' Honey, I Blew Up the Kid'' - Puppet/makeup effects artist
*''Alien³
''Alien 3'' (stylized as ''A''LIEN³) is a 1992 American Science fiction film, science fiction horror film directed by David Fincher and written by David Giler, Walter Hill (director), Walter Hill, and Larry Ferguson (screenwriter), Larry Ferguso ...
'' (1992) - Alien creature effects
*'' Death Becomes Her'' (1992) - Puppeteer
*''Harry and the Hendersons
''Harry and the Hendersons'' is a 1987 American fantasy comedy film directed and produced by William Dear and starring John Lithgow, Melinda Dillon, Don Ameche, David Suchet, Margaret Langrick, Joshua Rudoy, Lainie Kazan, and Kevin Peter Hall. ...
'' (1993) - Puppeteer
*'' Man's Best Friend'' (1993) - Puppeteer
*''Tales from the Crypt
Tales from the Crypt may refer to:
* ''Tales from the Crypt'' (album), by American rapper C-Bo
* ''Tales from the Crypt'' (comics), published by EC Comics during the 1950s
** ''Tales from the Crypt'' (film), a 1972 Amicus film starring Ralph Ric ...
'' (1989–1995) - Puppeteer
*'' Tales from the Crypt: Demon Knight'' (1995) - Puppeteer
*'' Children of the Corn III: Urban Harvest'' (1995) - Additional special makeup effects
*''Casper
Casper may refer to:
People
* Casper (given name)
* Casper (surname)
* Casper (Maya ruler) (422–487?), ruler of the Mayan city of Palenque
* Tok Casper, first known king of Maya city-state Quiriguá in Guatemala, ruling beginning in 426
* David ...
'' (1995) - Puppeteer of Crypt Keeper
*''Congo
Congo or The Congo may refer to either of two countries that border the Congo River in central Africa:
* Democratic Republic of the Congo, the larger country to the southeast, capital Kinshasa, formerly known as Zaire, sometimes referred to a ...
'' (1995) - Puppeteer
*''Bordello of Blood
''Tales from the Crypt Presents: Bordello of Blood'' is a 1996 American horror comedy film directed by Gilbert Adler, from a screenplay by Adler and A.L. Katz, and a story by Bob Gale and Robert Zemeckis. Dennis Miller stars as Rafe Guttman, a pri ...
'' - Puppeteer of Crypt Keeper
*''The X Files
''The X-Files'' is an American science fiction drama television series created by Chris Carter. The series revolves around Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Special Agents Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson), who ...
'' (1998) - Puppeteer
*''Bride of Chucky
''Bride of Chucky'' is a 1998 American black comedy slasher film written by Don Mancini and directed by Ronny Yu. The fourth installment in the ''Child's Play'' franchise, it stars Jennifer Tilly, Brad Dourif, John Ritter, Katherine Heigl, and Ni ...
'' (1998) - Puppeteer of Chucky
*''Dr. Dolittle 2
''Dr. Dolittle 2'' (also known as ''Doctor Dolittle 2'') is a 2001 American fantasy comedy film and a sequel to the 1998 film ''Dr. Dolittle''. It was written by Larry Levin, one of the co-writers of ''Dr. Dolittle'', and directed by Steve Carr. ...
'' (2001) - Puppeteer
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Winkless, Brock
1959 births
2015 deaths
American puppeteers
Neurological disease deaths in California
Deaths from multiple sclerosis
People with multiple sclerosis
Special effects people
Visual effects artists