John Stears

John Stears
John Stears being interviewed in
The Men Behind the Mayhem: The SFX of James Bond
Born(1934-08-25)25 August 1934
Died28 April 1999(1999-04-28) (aged 64)[1]
OccupationSpecial effects supervisor
Years active1956–1999
Spouse
Brenda Livy
(m. 1960)
Children2

John Stears (25 August 1934 – 28 April 1999), known as the "Dean of Special Effects",[2] was a British special effects expert. He created James Bond's lethal Aston Martin DB5, Luke Skywalker's Landspeeder, the Jedi Knights' lightsabers, the Death Star and the robots R2-D2 and C-3PO, as well as a host of other famous movie gadgets and special effects.[2]

  1. ^ "Corrections". The New York Times. 7 July 1999. Retrieved 12 February 2023.
  2. ^ a b William H. Honan (4 July 1999). "John Stears, 64, Dies; Film-Effects Wizard". The New York Times. p. 1 24. Retrieved 1 April 2022.