Description:
In 1949, 16 years after his ground-breaking work on the 1933 film "King Kong", Willis O'Brien worked as Chief Technician on another gorilla film for Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B. Shoedsack titled "Mighty Joe Young". A young Ray Harryhausen would do most of the animation, but O'Brien did come up with the designs for the film. At the 1950 Academy Awards, O'Brien was awarded an Oscar for Best Visual Effects for "Mighty Joe Young". This, along with "King Kong", are often considered his greatest achievements.
Birthday
March 2, 1886
Born In
Oakland, California, USA
Alternative names
Willis O'Brien
Spouse/Ex-
Darlyne Prenett November 17, 1934 - November 8, 1962 (his death),Hazel Ruth Collette 1925 - 1930 (separated)
Trivia
O'Brien's first marriage to Hazel Collette was a troubled and uneasy affair. By 1930 it had been dissolved, but not before having produced two sons, William and Willis Jr. Hazel suffered from tuberculosis and was often heavily sedated. The disease then spread to William and blinded him. In the fall of 1933, during the production of the film The Son of Kong (1933), Hazel shot and killed her two sons and then turned the gun on herself. She survived the incident, but died from cancer and tuberculosis soon afterward.
Nickname
Obie
Trademarks
Stop Motion Technology
