Harrison Ellenshaw (born Peter Samuel Ellenshaw, July 20, 1945, in

Harrisburg, Pennsylvania Harrisburg is the capital city of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Dauphin County. With a population of 50,135 as of the 2021 census, Harrisburg is the 9th largest city and 15th largest municipality in Pe ...

) is an American matte painter, following his British father

Peter Ellenshaw William Samuel Cook "Peter" Ellenshaw (24 May 1913 – 12 February 2007) was an English matte designer and special effects creator who worked on many Disney features. Born in London, he moved to America in 1953. Career & Life He first worked ...

. He started his career at Walt Disney Studios. He later joined

George Lucas George Walton Lucas Jr. (born May 14, 1944) is an American filmmaker. Lucas is best known for creating the ''Star Wars'' and ''Indiana Jones'' franchises and founding Lucasfilm, LucasArts, Industrial Light & Magic and THX. He served as chairm ...

's effects studio

Industrial Light and Magic Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) is an American motion picture visual effects company that was founded on May 26, 1975 by George Lucas. It is a division of the film production company Lucasfilm, which Lucas founded, and was created when he began pro ...

(ILM), where he produced many of the matte

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 ...

backgrounds for the films ''

Star Wars ''Star Wars'' is an American epic film, epic space opera multimedia franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the Star Wars (film), eponymous 1977 film and quickly became a worldwide popular culture, pop-culture Cultural impact of S ...

'' (1977) and ''

The Empire Strikes Back ''The Empire Strikes Back'' (also known as ''Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back'') is a 1980 American epic film, epic space opera film directed by Irvin Kershner from a screenplay by Leigh Brackett and Lawrence Kasdan, based o ...

'' (1980). He then returned to Disney and worked on the 1979 film ''

The Black Hole ''The Black Hole'' is a 1979 American science fiction film directed by Gary Nelson and produced by Walt Disney Productions. The film stars Maximilian Schell, Robert Forster, Joseph Bottoms, Yvette Mimieux, Anthony Perkins and Ernest Borgnine, ...

'', for which he and his father were nominated for an

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

for their work. He also worked on '' The Watcher in the Woods'' (1980), and ''

Tron ''Tron'' (stylized as ''TRON'') is a 1982 American science fiction action-adventure film written and directed by Steven Lisberger from a story by Lisberger and Bonnie MacBird. The film stars Jeff Bridges as Kevin Flynn, a computer programmer a ...

'' (1982), for which he was Visual Effects Supervisor, and ''

Dick Tracy ''Dick Tracy'' is an American comic strip featuring Dick Tracy (originally Plainclothes Tracy), a tough and intelligent police detective created by Chester Gould. It made its debut on Sunday, October 4, 1931, in the ''Detroit Mirror'', and it ...

'' (1990). He eventually headed Disney Studio's effects department, Buena Vista Visual Effects (BVVE). Harrison Ellenshaw is now pursuing his passion for fine art painting. His son Michael Ellenshaw has directed a short film while his sister Lynda Thompson is also a visual effects artist.

Selected filmography

* ''The Man Who Fell To Earth'' (1976), special photographic effects - credited as P.S. Ellenshaw * ''

'' (1977), matte artist * ''

'' (1979), miniature effects creator (Academy Award nominee for visual effects) * ''

'' (1980), matte artist * ''

'' (1982), visual effects supervisor and associate producer * '' Superman IV: The Quest for Peace'' (1987), visual effects supervisor and second unit director * ''

'' (1990), matte artist * ''Prop Culture'' (2020), himself, Episode: "Tron"

References

External links

Ellenshaw.com
official biography website *

on the
Matte Shot - A Tribute to Golden Era Special FX
' blog 1945 births 20th-century American painters American male painters 21st-century American painters 21st-century American male artists Living people Artists from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania Painters from Pennsylvania American people of English descent 20th-century American male artists {{US-painter-stub