Robert A. Mattey (June 27, 1910 – January 14, 1993) was an American special effects artist who was nominated at the 34th

Academy Awards 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 the film ''

The Absent-Minded Professor ''The Absent-Minded Professor'' is a 1961 American science fiction comedy film produced by Walt Disney Productions and based on the short story "A Situation of Gravity" by Samuel W. Taylor, originally published in the May 22, 1943 issue of ''Li ...

''. His nomination was shared with

Eustace Lycett Eustace Lycett (December 21, 1914 – November 16, 2006) was a British special effects artist who worked on attractions at Disneyland from the 1960s, such as Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln and Rocket to the Moon, as well as contributing to Disn ...

. He joined

Walt Disney Imagineering Walt Disney Imagineering Research & Development, Inc., commonly referred to as Imagineering, is the research and development arm of The Walt Disney Company, responsible for the creation, design, and construction of Disney theme parks and attra ...

when Disneyland was first being created as head of the Mechanical Effects Department. Mattey is most famously known for his creation of the three

animatronic Animatronics refers to mechatronic puppets. They are a modern variant of the automaton and are often used for the portrayal of characters in films and in theme park attractions. It is a multidisciplinary field integrating puppetry, anatomy a ...

sharks used in the production of

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'' * ...

(1975), with a production cost of around $150,000 each. The mechanical shark was nicknamed "Bruce" because

Steven Spielberg Steven Allan Spielberg (; born December 18, 1946) is an American director, writer, and producer. A major figure of the New Hollywood era and pioneer of the modern blockbuster, he is the most commercially successful director of all time. Spie ...

’s divorce lawyer’s name was Bruce Raiman. This is also what inspired the name for 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 mackerel shark which can be found in the coastal surface waters of all the major oceans. It is nota ...

, Bruce, in

Finding Nemo ''Finding Nemo'' is a 2003 American computer-animated comedy-drama adventure film produced by Pixar Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures. Directed by Andrew Stanton with co-direction by Lee Unkrich, the screenplay was writ ...

(2003). He was also one of the designers of the Disneyland animatronic characters on attractions like

Jungle Cruise Jungle Cruise, formally named Jungle River Cruise, is a riverboat amusement ride located in the Adventureland themed section at various Disney theme parks worldwide. The attraction is a simulated riverboat cruise that travels along a waterway ...

, Mine Train Through Nature’s Wonderland,

Haunted Mansion The Haunted Mansion is a dark ride attraction located at Disneyland, Magic Kingdom, and Tokyo Disneyland. The haunted house attraction features a ride-through tour in Omnimover vehicles called "Doom Buggies", and a walk-through show is displaye ...

, and the 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea walk-through attraction. When Disneyland opened in 1955, Robert Mattey was given a dedication window on

Main Street U.S.A. Main Street, U.S.A. is the first "themed land" inside the main entrance of the many theme parks operated or licensed by The Walt Disney Company around the world. Main Street, U.S.A. is themed to resemble American small towns during the early 20t ...

located on the second floor of the Market House. The window states "Bob Mattey - Taxidermist."

Selected filmography

*''

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea ''Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas'' (french: Vingt mille lieues sous les mers) is a classic science fiction adventure novel by French writer Jules Verne. The novel was originally serialized from March 1869 through June 1870 in Pierre-J ...

'' (1954) *''

'' (1961) *'' Babes in Toyland'' (1961) *''

Son of Flubber ''Son of Flubber'' is a 1963 American science fiction comedy film directed by Robert Stevenson and produced by Walt Disney Productions. The sequel to ''The Absent-Minded Professor'' (1961), Fred MacMurray reprises his role from the first film as ...

'' (1963) *''

Mary Poppins It may refer to: * ''Mary Poppins'' (book series), the original 1934–1988 children's fantasy novels that introduced the character. * Mary Poppins (character), the nanny with magical powers. * ''Mary Poppins'' (film), a 1964 Disney film sta ...

'' (1964) *''

The Monkey's Uncle ''The Monkey's Uncle'' is a 1965 American comedy film starring Tommy Kirk as genius college student Merlin Jones and Annette Funicello (former Mouseketeer from ''The Mickey Mouse Club'') as his girlfriend, Jennifer. The title plays on the idiom ...

'' (1965) *''

Lt. Robin Crusoe, U.S.N. ''Lt. Robin Crusoe U.S.N.'' is a 1966 American comedy film released and scripted by Walt Disney,Zibart, Eve : "Today in History Disney", Emmis Books, 2006, and starring Dick Van Dyke as a U.S. Navy pilot who becomes a castaway on a tropical islan ...

'' (1966) *''

The Gnome-Mobile ''The Gnome-Mobile'' is a 1967 American fantasy comedy film directed by Robert Stevenson and produced by Walt Disney Productions. Based on the 1936 book ''The Gnomobile'' by Upton Sinclair, it was one of the last films personally supervised by W ...

'' (1967) *''

Blackbeard's Ghost ''Blackbeard's Ghost'' is a 1968 American Fantasy film, fantasy comedy film directed by Robert Stevenson (director), Robert Stevenson and starring Peter Ustinov, Dean Jones (actor), Dean Jones, and Suzanne Pleshette. It was produced by Walt Disne ...

'' (1968) *''

The Love Bug ''The Love Bug'' is a 1968 American comedy film directed by Robert Stevenson and the first in a franchise by Walt Disney Productions and distributed by Buena Vista Distribution that starred an anthropomorphic pearl-white, fabric-sunroofed 1963 ...

'' (1968) *''

The Barefoot Executive ''The Barefoot Executive'' (also known as ''The Rating Game'') is a 1971 American comedy film starring Kurt Russell, Joe Flynn, Wally Cox, Heather North, Harry Morgan, and John Ritter (in his film debut), about a pet chimpanzee, named Raffles, ...

'' (1971) *''

Scandalous John ''Scandalous John'' is a 1971 American comedy-drama Western (genre), western film directed by Robert Butler (director), Robert Butler and produced by Walt Disney Pictures, Walt Disney Productions. It stars Brian Keith and Alfonso Arau. The music w ...

'' (1971) *''

'' (1975) *''

Jaws 2 ''Jaws 2'' is a 1978 American thriller film directed by Jeannot Szwarc and co-written by Carl Gottlieb. It is the sequel to Steven Spielberg's ''Jaws'' (1975), and the second installment in the ''Jaws'' franchise. The film stars Roy Scheider as ...

'' (1978)

References

External links

* Special effects people 1910 births 1993 deaths People from New Jersey Disney imagineers {{US-film-bio-stub