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Douglas Trumbull(1942-2022)

  • Producer
  • Director
  • Visual Effects
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
Douglas Trumbull
A 'Cine-ramic' rollercoaster ride through the rise, fall and rebirth of projected film.
Play trailer2:02
Splice Here: A Projected Odyssey (2022)
2 Videos
8 Photos
Legendary filmmaker and visual effects pioneer, Douglas Trumbull, was one of the Special Photographic Effects Supervisors for 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968). He went on to become the Visual Effects Supervisor for such classics as Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977), Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979), and Blade Runner (1982), each of which earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Visual Effects.

Mr. Trumbull directed Silent Running (1972), Brainstorm (1983), Back to the Future... The Ride (1991) and numerous other special format films.

He is the recipient of an Academy Award in the area of Scientific and Technical Achievement, as well as the International Monitor Award and American Society of Cinematographers' Lifetime Achievement Award for his outstanding contributions in the field of filmmaking. Mr. Trumbull was most recently involved in the evolution of visual effects using virtual digital sets and electronic cinematography.
BornApril 8, 1942
DiedFebruary 7, 2022(79)
BornApril 8, 1942
DiedFebruary 7, 2022(79)
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
  • Nominated for 3 Oscars
    • 18 wins & 12 nominations total

Photos7

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Known for

Harrison Ford and Sean Young in Blade Runner (1982)
Blade Runner
8.1
  • Visual Effects
  • 1982
Bruce Dern in Silent Running (1972)
Silent Running
6.6
  • Producer(uncredited)
  • 1972
Leonard Nimoy, William Shatner, and Persis Khambatta in Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979)
Star Trek: The Motion Picture
6.4
  • Visual Effects
  • 1979
Brainstorm (1983)
Brainstorm
6.4
  • Producer(produced by)
  • 1983

Credits

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IMDbPro

Producer



  • Sam Elliott, Ron Livingston, Rizwan Manji, Larry Miller, Caitlin FitzGerald, and Aidan Turner in The Man Who Killed Hitler and Then the Bigfoot (2018)
    The Man Who Killed Hitler and Then the Bigfoot
    5.7
    • executive producer
    • 2018
  • In Search of the Obelisk (1993)
    In Search of the Obelisk
    6.0
    Short
    • producer
    • 1993
  • To Dream of Roses
    8.6
    Short
    • executive producer
    • 1990
  • Brainstorm (1983)
    Brainstorm
    6.4
    • producer (produced by)
    • 1983
  • The Starlost: Deception (1980)
    The Starlost: Deception
    5.4
    TV Movie
    • executive producer
    • 1980
  • This is Showscan
    Short
    • producer
    • 1978
  • The Starlost (1973)
    The Starlost
    6.2
    TV Series
    • producer
    • executive producer
    • 1973–1974
  • Bruce Dern in Silent Running (1972)
    Silent Running
    6.6
    • producer (uncredited)
    • 1972

Director



  • Golden Eyes
    Short
    • Director
    • 2011
  • The Gate to the Mind's Eye (1994)
    Theater of Time
    Short
    • Director
    • 1993
  • The Gate to the Mind's Eye (1994)
    Luxor Live
    Short
    • Director
    • 1993
  • In Search of the Obelisk (1993)
    In Search of the Obelisk
    6.0
    Short
    • Director
    • 1993
  • Christopher Lloyd in Back to the Future... The Ride (1991)
    Back to the Future... The Ride
    7.9
    Video
    • Director
    • 1991
  • Leonardo's Dream
    Short
    • Director
    • 1989
  • Tour of the Universe
    6.7
    Short
    • Director
    • 1985
  • Let's Go (1985)
    Let's Go
    Short
    • Director
    • 1985
  • Gerrit Graham in New Magic (1983)
    New Magic
    6.5
    Short
    • Director
    • 1983
  • Big Ball (1983)
    Big Ball
    4.4
    Short
    • Director
    • 1983
  • Brainstorm (1983)
    Brainstorm
    6.4
    • Director (directed by)
    • 1983
  • Night of Dreams
    Short
    • Director
    • 1978
  • Bruce Dern in Silent Running (1972)
    Silent Running
    6.6
    • Director
    • 1972

Visual Effects



  • The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power - Title Announcement (2022)
    The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power - Title Announcement
    3.8
    Video
    • visual effects supervisor
    • 2022
  • Sam Elliott, Ron Livingston, Rizwan Manji, Larry Miller, Caitlin FitzGerald, and Aidan Turner in The Man Who Killed Hitler and Then the Bigfoot (2018)
    The Man Who Killed Hitler and Then the Bigfoot
    5.7
    • visual effects
    • 2018
  • The Tree of Life (2011)
    The Tree of Life
    6.8
    • visual effects consultant
    • 2011
  • Harrison Ford and Sean Young in Blade Runner (1982)
    Blade Runner
    8.1
    • special photographic effects supervisor
    • 1982
  • Leonard Nimoy, William Shatner, and Persis Khambatta in Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979)
    Star Trek: The Motion Picture
    6.4
    • special photographic effects director
    • 1979
  • Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)
    Close Encounters of the Third Kind
    7.6
    • special photographic effects
    • 1977
  • The Starlost (1973)
    The Starlost
    6.2
    TV Series
    • visual effects (uncredited)
    • 1973
  • Bruce Dern in Silent Running (1972)
    Silent Running
    6.6
    • special photographic effects
    • 1972
  • James Olson and Robert Soto in The Andromeda Strain (1971)
    The Andromeda Strain
    7.2
    • special photographic effects
    • 1971
  • Marlon Brando, Richard Burton, James Coburn, Walter Matthau, John Huston, Charles Aznavour, John Astin, Ewa Aulin, and Ringo Starr in Candy (1968)
    Candy
    5.1
    • opening and closing sequences
    • 1968
  • 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
    2001: A Space Odyssey
    8.3
    • special photographic effects supervisor
    • 1968
  • To the Moon and Beyond (1964)
    To the Moon and Beyond
    6.6
    Short
    • special photographic effects
    • 1964

Videos2

Official trailer
Trailer 2:02
Official trailer
Chesley Bonestell: A Brush with the Future (Trailer)
Trailer 2:07
Chesley Bonestell: A Brush with the Future (Trailer)
Chesley Bonestell: A Brush with the Future (Trailer)
Trailer 2:07
Chesley Bonestell: A Brush with the Future (Trailer)

Personal details

Edit
  • Alternative name
    • Doug Trumbull
  • Born
    • April 8, 1942
    • Los Angeles, California, USA
  • Died
    • February 7, 2022
    • Albany, New York, USA(mesothelioma)
  • Spouses
      Julia HobartAugust 12, 2012 - February 7, 2022 (his death)
  • Other works
    Directed and largely wrote "Back to the Future: The Ride" for Steven Spielberg and Universal Studios Theme Parks.
  • Publicity listings
    • 1 Interview
    • 6 Articles
    • 1 Pictorial
    • 1 Magazine Cover Photo

Did you know

Edit
  • Trivia
    Stanley Kubrick hired Trumbull to work on 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) after seeing a documentary Trumbull worked on for the 1964 World's Fair, To the Moon and Beyond (1964).
  • Quotes
    I had to personally make a life decision many years ago when Natalie Wood died under very suspicious circumstances during the making of Brainstorm (1983). I just had to stop. I had been a writer-director all my life, and I decided it wasn't for me because I was put through a really challenging personal experience. I do not think the story has ever been told. I don't know the story myself, but I know what my experience was. I decided to leave the movie business.

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