A man of 'character'.(editor's note)(Stan Winston)(Biography)

His creatures are legendary. And so was he.

Sadly, the industry last month lost one of its pioneers and innovators: famed makeup artist, visual effects artist, director, producer, costume designer, and writer Stan Winston, who succumbed to cancer at the age of 62.

Winston's career spanned four decades, though his mark on the industry will last for generations. In 1972, Winston, a struggling actor-turned-makeup artist, realized his true Hollywood calling, and established Stan Winston Studio.

It didn't take long for the Emmy and Oscar nominations and awards to pile up for Winston's makeup and effects work. First, he established himself in the broadcast world with the tele-film Gargoyles. Later, he placed his stamp in the burgeoning field of music videos with Styx's Mr. Roboto. Soon thereafter, he made a name for himself in Hollywood. Working alongside famed directors Steven Spielberg, James Cameron, and Tim Burton, he crafted such timeless monsters as the metallic Terminator, the slime-coated Alien, and its bloodthirsty counterpart, Predator. He brought dinosaurs to life for Jurassic Park. He made the deformed Edward Scissorhands interesting and likable. He gave the grotesquely misshapen Penguin screen presence next to the sleek superhero Barman. His creations were more than just bits and pieces of plastic and metal molded together in an interesting way; his creatures had character.

As a true visionary, Winston, along with Cameron and Scott Ross, founded VFX facility Digital Domain. After a short period, Winston and Cameron left the studio, though not before releasing the top-grossing film of all time, Titanic.

While Winston's name is associated with a number of huge effects films, a good deal of his work was in animatronics and puppetry, not digital work, where he ...