A leading figure in modern movie effects, Stan Winston describes himself as a character designer rather than a makeup effects technician. His Stan Winston Studio has crafted some of modern cinema's most fantastic figures. He collaborated with director James Cameron on the fearsome monster effects of "Aliens" (1986) and on both "The Terminator" (1984) and its lavish 1991 sequel "Terminator 2: Judgment Day". In a similar vein, he designed the alien hunter in "Predator" (1987) and "Predator 2" (1990). Winston and filmmaker Tim Burton were responsible for Johnny Depp's soulful-eyed and sharp-fingered oddball looks in "Edward Scissorhands" (1990) and Danny DeVito's grotesque Penguin makeup in "Batman Returns" (1992).
Winston employs a crack team of painters, sculptors, and other artists and craftsmen which he has favorably compared to the masters of the Renaissance. A less controversial comparison could be drawn to the Disney Studio of the classic era. He also owes a debt to Ray Harryhausen, that low-tech effects wizard of the 1950s and 60s, who also made movie creatures that had to convince visually as well as emotionally. More than a talented techie, Winston has been a major player on many of his projects. Realizing that much of the future of special effects will involve computers, he joined forces with Cameron and Scott Ross to establish Digital Domain, already the second largest computer effects company after Industrial Light and Magic. Winston has also directed two features of his own, "Pumpkinhead" (1988) and "The Adventures of a Gnome Named Gnorm" (1993). The former, for which he also received story credit, was an above-average tale of supernatural revenge gone horribly awry, while the latter was a comedic fantasy adventure that went straight to video.
Winston initially wanted to be an actor and he studied drama and fine arts at the University of Virginia. He then moved to California and won acceptance to the Disney Studio's highly competitive apprenticeship program in theatrical makeup and special effects. After 6000 hours of training, Winston left Disney and began working in TV, providing special makeup for the TV-movie "Gargoyles" (CBS, 1972) and collaborating with Rick Baker on the remarkable old age makeup for Cicely Tyson in "The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman" (1974). Two Emmys later, his new studio was providing makeup effects for several TV shows. Winston first made his mark in features with "The Wiz" (1978) and hit his stride in 1984 with a transformation sequence in "Starman" and designing in the titular character of "The Terminator".
Winston's later credits included two highly publicized projects: "Jurassic Park" (1993) and "Interview With the Vampire" (1994). His studio was responsible for building 65% of the dinosaurs that appeared onscreen in the Spielberg thriller. Winston won his fourth Oscar for their elaborate efforts. He also designed the striking vampire makeup and effects for the subsequent horror outing.
Although he took time out to try to jump-start a filmmaking career by serving as second unit director on "Congo" (1995) and helming the Michael Jackson short "Ghosts" (1996), Winston soon returned to the world of FX. For the Spielberg-directed sequel "The Lost World: Jurassic Park" (1997), he surpassed his original designs for the live-action dinosaurs and shared in an Oscar nomination for Best Visual Effects. He remained busy over the next several years, creating the character effects for "Instinct" and serving as special effects supervisor on the Schwarzennegger vehicle "End of Days" and the space comedy "Galaxy Quest" (all 1999). 2001 saw him contribute to the special effects to a trio of blockbusters, the WWII drama "Pearl Harbor", the sequel "Jurassic Park III" and the Spielberg-directed "A.I. Artificial Intelligence". For the latter, Winston and his team were charged with the creation of the walking, talking stuffed bear Teddy, whose facial features and vocalizations were eerily human-like. He earned his tenth career Academy Award nomination for this achievement. Winston then signed on to oversee the animatronics and supervise the makeup effects for the long-awaited sequel "Terminator 3: The Rise of the Machines" (2003), which promised the first female terminator.