Glen Robinson (visual effects)


Thomas Glenn Robinson, better known as Glen Robinson, was an American special and visual effects artist, winner of six Academy Awards: two Academy Awards for Technical Achievement and four Special Achievement Academy Awards. As a special effects artist, his career spans over six decades from the mid-1930s to the mid-1980s, having worked literally on dozens of films.

Biography

Glen Robinson was born Thomas Glenn Robinson in Idaho on September 20, 1914. When aged twelve his family moved to Los Angeles city and in 1932, at the age of 18, he graduated from Venice High School. In 1936 he was hired by the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer company, where he became the studio's top special effects coordinator.
Alongside his special effects career, Robinson was an engineer of roller coaster and double Ferris wheel attractions at amusement and theme parks that included Magic Mountain, Pleasure Island, Freedomland U.S.A. and Space City USA. In the book, Freedomland U.S.A.: The Definitive History, Robinson is credited for his work at the park. However, his specific contributions to Freedomland remain undetermined. Space City USA never was completed.
Glen Robinson died of natural causes on March 27, 2002 at the Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California. He was aged 87 and at the moment of his death he was survived by five children, fourteen grandchildren and thirteen great-grandchildren.

Selected filmography

Two Academy Awards for Technical Achievement