Grant McCune (March 27, 1943 – December 27, 2010) was an American special effects designer whose entry into Hollywood was the uncredited creation of 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 ocean ...

in the 1975 film ''

Jaws Jaws or Jaw may refer to: Anatomy * Jaw, an opposable articulated structure at the entrance of the mouth ** Mandible, the lower jaw Arts, entertainment, and media * Jaws (James Bond), a character in ''The Spy Who Loved Me'' and ''Moonraker'' * ...

''. His efforts there led to work on a series of major films, including his design of the robots in the '' Star Wars'' films, winning an

Oscar Oscar, OSCAR, or The Oscar may refer to: People * Oscar (given name), an Irish- and English-language name also used in other languages; the article includes the names Oskar, Oskari, Oszkár, Óscar, and other forms. * Oscar (Irish mythology) ...

in 1977 for his efforts in the first film in the series.

Biography

McCune was born on March 27, 1943. He attended California State University, Northridge where he earned his undergraduate degree in biology and met his future wife. McCune was able to use his scientific training when he and Bill Shourt were hired in 1975 to work on creating the iconic shark in the movie ''Jaws'', marking his start in Hollywood, though he was uncredited. He was subsequently hired to work on the ''Star Wars'' movies as the franchise's chief model maker, responsible for the design details of the robots (such as

R2-D2 R2-D2 () or Artoo-Detoo is a fictional robot character in the ''Star Wars'' franchise created by George Lucas. He has appeared in ten of the eleven theatrical ''Star Wars'' films to date. At various points throughout the course of the films, R2, ...

) and alien characters in the films. He and his team earned an Academy Award for Best Visual Effects at the

50th Academy Awards The 50th Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honored films released in 1977 and took place on April 3, 1978, at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles beginning at 7:00 p.m. PST ...

for Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. He received a second Oscar nomination for his work on the 1979 film '' Star Trek: The Motion Picture''. As a partner at Apogee Productions, McCune's work was featured in such films as ''

Caddyshack ''Caddyshack'' is a 1980 American sports comedy film directed by Harold Ramis, written by Brian Doyle-Murray, Ramis and Douglas Kenney, and starring Chevy Chase, Rodney Dangerfield, Ted Knight, Michael O'Keefe and Bill Murray with supporting ...

'' before founding his own firm, which was hired to work on such movies as ''

Speed In everyday use and in kinematics, the speed (commonly referred to as ''v'') of an object is the magnitude Magnitude may refer to: Mathematics *Euclidean vector, a quantity defined by both its magnitude and its direction *Magnitude (ma ...

'' and '' Spider-Man''.Staff
"R2-D2 creator Grant McCune dies"

CBC News CBC News is a division of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation responsible for the news gathering and production of news programs on the corporation's English-language operations, namely CBC Television, CBC Radio, CBC News Network, and CBC.ca ...

, December 30, 2010. Retrieved December 30, 2010. Interviewed by ''

Popular Mechanics ''Popular Mechanics'' (sometimes PM or PopMech) is a magazine of popular science and technology, featuring automotive, home, outdoor, electronics, science, do-it-yourself, and technology topics. Military topics, aviation and transportation o ...

'' magazine in 2009, McCune described how one uses a photographer's eye in designing miniatures, using perspective and surface details to make the objects appear as realistic as possible. A resident of

Hidden Hills, California Hidden Hills is a city and gated community in the Santa Monica Mountains region of Los Angeles County, California. It is located next to the city of Calabasas. It is notable for being home to many actors and celebrities. The population was 1,7 ...

, McCune died at his home there of pancreatic cancer at the age of 67 on December 27, 2010. He was survived by his wife, Katherine, as well as by a daughter and a son.

Filmography

*'' Star Wars'' (1977) - Death Star Gunner (uncredited)

References

External links

Grant McCune Design website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:McCune, Grant 1943 births 2010 deaths Best Visual Effects Academy Award winners California State University, Northridge alumni Deaths from cancer in California Deaths from pancreatic cancer People from Los Angeles Special effects people