Ray Harryhausen Dies At Age 92

by Armand Vaquer

Sad news today.

Ray Harryhausen, the genius stop-motion special effects master, has died today at age 92.

According to NPR News:

Ray Harryhausen, who brought sword-fighting skeletons to the 1963 movie Jason and the Argonauts and was known as the master of stop-motion animation for his work on that and other films such as Clash of the Titans and The Golden Voyage of Sinbad, has died. 

The Ray and Diana Harryhausen Foundation says on its Facebook page that he passed away Tuesday in London. Harryhausen, who was a producer and director as well as a model animator, was 92. 

In 2004, Harryhausen told NPR that it was seeing King Kong in 1933 that led him to a life in the movies. "I couldn't figure out how it was done," he said of the stop-animation in that film, and he set out to learn.

I think the first Harryhausen movie I saw was The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad.  My parents (lucky for me) were science-fiction and horror fans and took me to the drive-in with them.  Seventh Voyage of Sinbad was the first of many they took me to as well as Jason and the Argonauts, Clash of the Titans, The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms and others.

Above, Ray Harryhausen discusses his career at the American Cinemateque.  Photo by Armand Vaquer.

I had the pleasure to see Harryhausen at the American Cinemateque at the Hollywood Egyptian Theater about ten years ago.

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