Albert Whitlock
Encyclopedia
Albert J. Whitlock was a British-born
motion picture matte
artist
best known for his work with Disney
and Universal Studios
.
(1934) and then completing all of the signs for The 39 Steps
(1935).
Whitlock began working as a matte artist during World War II. Recruited by Walt Disney
, who was an admirer of his work, he relocated to the United States in the early 1950s. At Disney, where the head of the Matte Department was fellow-Londoner and near-exact contemporary Peter Ellenshaw
, he successfully mastered the impressionistic approach to matte painting that he would become known for. He remained with the studio for seven years, helping with the design of Disneyland as well as film work, before moving to Universal in 1961. There he served as the head of their matte department, resuming his collaboration with Alfred Hitchcock and many other directors, until retiring from the company in 1985 (though he continued to work on the odd production for a few years afterwards).
His crowning achievement was the creation of over 70 individual matte paintings for the disaster film
Earthquake
(1974), for which he received an Academy Award. He won the Oscar again the following year for The Hindenburg
, in which he re-created the great airship and its final voyage. Universal loaned out Whitlock and his team to other studios for visual effects work on films including Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes, the David Lynch
version of Dune
, Mame
, The Learning Tree
and Bound for Glory. In the latter film, Whitlock created the famous Dust Storm with moving cotton-covered disks.
In addition to his film work, Whitlock is known to Star Trek
fans for all of the matte paintings used in the original series, some of which he reworked for use in its later episodes. (These have been replaced by CGI
replicas in the the remastered version of the series.)
Whitlock was also responsible for the matte paintings in History of the World, Part I
, and appeared in the movie as a character hawking used chariots. He also produced background mattes for Brooks earlier film High Anxiety
, and appeared in that film in a small role as "noted industrialist Arthur Brisbane."
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
motion picture matte
Matte (filmmaking)
Mattes are used in photography and special effects filmmaking to combine two or more image elements into a single, final image. Usually, mattes are used to combine a foreground image with a background image . In this case, the matte is the background painting...
artist
Artist
An artist is a person engaged in one or more of any of a broad spectrum of activities related to creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse is a practitioner in the visual arts only...
best known for his work with Disney
Walt Disney Pictures
Walt Disney Pictures is an American film studio owned by The Walt Disney Company. Walt Disney Pictures and Television, a subsidiary of the Walt Disney Studios and the main production company for live-action feature films within the Walt Disney Motion Pictures Group, based at the Walt Disney...
and Universal Studios
Universal Studios
Universal Pictures , a subsidiary of NBCUniversal, is one of the six major movie studios....
.
Life and career
His film career began as a page at Gaumont Studios in London in 1929, before going on to build sets and work as a grip. Trained as a sign painter, he began a life-long association with Alfred Hitchcock, assisting in the miniature effects for The Man Who Knew Too MuchThe Man Who Knew Too Much (1934 film)
The Man Who Knew Too Much is a British suspense film directed by Alfred Hitchcock, featuring Peter Lorre, and released by Gaumont British. It was one of the most successful and critically acclaimed films of Hitchcock's British period....
(1934) and then completing all of the signs for The 39 Steps
The 39 Steps (1935 film)
The 39 Steps is a British thriller film directed by Alfred Hitchcock, loosely based on the adventure novel The Thirty-nine Steps by John Buchan. The film stars Robert Donat and Madeleine Carroll....
(1935).
Whitlock began working as a matte artist during World War II. Recruited by Walt Disney
Walt Disney
Walter Elias "Walt" Disney was an American film producer, director, screenwriter, voice actor, animator, entrepreneur, entertainer, international icon, and philanthropist, well-known for his influence in the field of entertainment during the 20th century. Along with his brother Roy O...
, who was an admirer of his work, he relocated to the United States in the early 1950s. At Disney, where the head of the Matte Department was fellow-Londoner and near-exact contemporary Peter Ellenshaw
Peter Ellenshaw
William "Peter" Ellenshaw was an Anglo-American matte designer and special effects creator who worked on many Disney features....
, he successfully mastered the impressionistic approach to matte painting that he would become known for. He remained with the studio for seven years, helping with the design of Disneyland as well as film work, before moving to Universal in 1961. There he served as the head of their matte department, resuming his collaboration with Alfred Hitchcock and many other directors, until retiring from the company in 1985 (though he continued to work on the odd production for a few years afterwards).
His crowning achievement was the creation of over 70 individual matte paintings for the disaster film
Disaster film
A disaster film is a film genre that has an impending or ongoing disaster as its subject...
Earthquake
Earthquake (film)
Earthquake is a 1974 American disaster film that achieved huge box-office success, continuing the disaster film genre of the 1970s where recognizable all-star casts attempt to survive life or death situations...
(1974), for which he received an Academy Award. He won the Oscar again the following year for The Hindenburg
The Hindenburg (film)
The Hindenburg is a 1975 American film based on the disaster of the German airship Hindenburg. The film stars George C. Scott. It was produced and directed by Robert Wise, and was written by Nelson Gidding, Richard Levinson and William Link based on the book of the same name by Michael M. Mooney .A.A...
, in which he re-created the great airship and its final voyage. Universal loaned out Whitlock and his team to other studios for visual effects work on films including Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes, the David Lynch
David Lynch
David Keith Lynch is an American filmmaker, television director, visual artist, musician and occasional actor. Known for his surrealist films, he has developed his own unique cinematic style, which has been dubbed "Lynchian", and which is characterized by its dream imagery and meticulous sound...
version of Dune
Dune (film)
Dune is a 1984 science fiction film written and directed by David Lynch, based on the 1965 Frank Herbert novel of the same name. The film stars Kyle MacLachlan as Paul Atreides, and includes an ensemble of well-known American and European actors in supporting roles. It was filmed at the Churubusco...
, Mame
Mame (film)
Mame is a 1974 musical film based on the 1966 Broadway musical of the same name, directed by Gene Saks, written by Paul Zindel, and starring Lucille Ball and Beatrice Arthur.Warner Bros...
, The Learning Tree
The Learning Tree
The Learning Tree is a 1969 drama film which tells the story of a young African American growing up in rural Kansas during the late 1920s and early 1930s, when racial discrimination was a social norm, legally sanctioned in parts of the United States. Written and directed by Gordon Parks, the film...
and Bound for Glory. In the latter film, Whitlock created the famous Dust Storm with moving cotton-covered disks.
In addition to his film work, Whitlock is known to Star Trek
Star Trek: The Original Series
Star Trek is an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry, produced by Desilu Productions . Star Trek was telecast on NBC from September 8, 1966, through June 3, 1969...
fans for all of the matte paintings used in the original series, some of which he reworked for use in its later episodes. (These have been replaced by CGI
Computer-generated imagery
Computer-generated imagery is the application of the field of computer graphics or, more specifically, 3D computer graphics to special effects in art, video games, films, television programs, commercials, simulators and simulation generally, and printed media...
replicas in the the remastered version of the series.)
Whitlock was also responsible for the matte paintings in History of the World, Part I
History of the World, Part I
History of the World, Part I is a 1981 comedy film written, produced, and directed by Mel Brooks. Brooks also stars in the film, playing five roles: Moses, Comicus the stand-up philosopher, Tomás de Torquemada, King Louis XVI, and Jacques, le garçon de pisse...
, and appeared in the movie as a character hawking used chariots. He also produced background mattes for Brooks earlier film High Anxiety
High Anxiety
High Anxiety is a 1977 comedy film produced and directed by Mel Brooks, who also plays the lead. This is Brooks' first film as a producer and first "speaking" lead role...
, and appeared in that film in a small role as "noted industrialist Arthur Brisbane."
Awards won
- 1975: Academy Award for Special Achievement in Visual Effects in EarthquakeEarthquake (film)Earthquake is a 1974 American disaster film that achieved huge box-office success, continuing the disaster film genre of the 1970s where recognizable all-star casts attempt to survive life or death situations...
(shared with Frank Brendel, Glen Robinson) - 1976: Academy Award for Special Achievement in Visual Effects in The HindenburgThe Hindenburg (film)The Hindenburg is a 1975 American film based on the disaster of the German airship Hindenburg. The film stars George C. Scott. It was produced and directed by Robert Wise, and was written by Nelson Gidding, Richard Levinson and William Link based on the book of the same name by Michael M. Mooney .A.A...
(shared with Glen Robinson) - 1985: Emmy for Outstanding Special Visual Effects in A.D.A.D. (film)A.D. is a British/Italian miniseries from 1985 in 6 parts which tells the Acts of the Apostles. Considered as the third and final installment in a TV miniseries trilogy which began with Moses the Lawgiver and Franco Zeffirelli's Jesus of Nazareth , it was adapted from Anthony Burgess's novel The...
shared with Syd Dutton, Mark Whitlock, Bill TaylorBill TaylorCommodore William Leonard 'Bill' Taylor was an Australian Naval Officer, Politician and Administrator. He was born in Toowoomba, Queensland and later served that City and surrounding districts as the Commonwealth Parliamentary representative.-Career:* 1957 - 1988 Military Service, Royal Australian...
, Dennis Glouner, Lynn Ledgerwood)
Awards nominated
- 1968: Academy Award for Special Effects in TobrukTobruk (film)Tobruk is a 1967 American war film starring Rock Hudson and George Peppard and directed by Arthur Hiller. The film was written by Leo Gordon and released through Universal Pictures....
(shared with Howard A. Anderson) - 1979: Saturn AwardSaturn AwardThe Saturn Award is an award presented annually by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films to honor the top works in science fiction, fantasy, and horror in film, television, and home video. The Saturn Awards were devised by Dr. Donald A. Reed in 1972, who felt that films within...
for Best Special Effects in The WizThe Wiz (film)The Wiz is a 1978 musical film produced by Motown Productions and Universal Pictures, and released by Universal on October 24, 1978. An urbanized retelling of L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz featuring an entirely African-American cast, The Wiz was adapted from the 1975 Broadway musical...