Media – Special Effects: Academy Award Winner
Program Titles
- Special Effects Character Design
- Creature and Makeup Effects Design
- Practical Creature Effects
- Stunt Work Body Plates
- Design and Creation of Alien Primates
Tom Woodruff, Jr. AVP a Academy Award-winning special effects artist, Tom Woodruff, Jr. has created some of the most memorable effects ever seen on the big screen. He has been making movie history for years!
He has created and performed some of your FAVORITE characters including THE ALIEN WARRIOR from Alien 3, Alien Resurection and the upcoming ALIEN vs PREDATOR! PLUS other characters include PUMPKINHEAD, the ALIEN from X-FILES THE MOVIE and the Blue Gorilla Creature in EVOLUTION!
Tom Woodruff Jr.’s early interest in movies and monsters was a result of late-night broadcasts of the now classic Universal monster movies and the stop-motion effects of Ray Harryhausen.
Focused his attention on the craft of make-up, while getting his hands on his father’s 8mm home movie camera at 13 years old simultaneously encouraged his interest in filmmaking.
Tom’s only professional contact was through the mail, writing letters to the artists who’s work he admired most, like John Chambers, who created the PLANET OF THE APES make-ups.
After a year of working with small make-up effects houses, Tom joined Winston’s team on TERMINATOR. That was the beginning of a five-year period which saw Tom become a key coordinator under Winston, with the opportunity to work on such features as ALIENS and PREDATOR as well as TV shows such as AMAZING STORIES.
Tom began wearing the complicated make-ups and costumes of the creatures designed at the studio. His physical build and tolerance, as well as his ability to perform as an actor, led to his portraying the title characters in such movies as MONSTER SQUAD, PUMPKINHEAD, and LEVIATHAN.
Tom continued to write, co-produce, write, and direct THE DEMON WITH THREE TALES, a promotional piece designed to sell a feature anthology project.
Tom quickly grew to become one of the major character effects talents in the business today, with their work gathering numerous accolades and awards including an Academy Award for DEATH BECOMES HER and multiple Academy Award nominations for STARSHIP TROOPERS and ALIEN3.
Tom directing a number of segments for the Dick Clark series, BEYOND BELIEF. In between effect-oriented productions.
Dedicated to the highest standards of quality in Animatronics and Special Make-up, Tom has created effects in such films as TREMORS and ALIEN3, for which they were Oscar nominees. He won the Best Visual Effects Oscar for his work on DEATH BECOMES HER.
Other career highlights include animal characters for JUMANJI, Tim Allen’s fat make-ups for THE SANTA CLAUSE, and another Visual Effects Oscar nomination for STARSHIP TROOPERS.
Tom directed the dramatic thriller My Cousin’s Keeper, and also plays Russell, which will appear at various film festivals.
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