Updated: July 11, 2024

Raymond Frederick Harryhausen ( June 29, 1920 – May 7, 2013 ) was an American-British artist, designer, visual effects creator, writer and producer who created a form of stop-motion model animation known as "Dynamation".

His most memorable works include: working with his mentor Willis H. O'Brien on the animation for Mighty Joe Young ( 1949 ), his first color film, which won the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects; The 7th Voyage of Sinbad ( 1958 ); and Jason and the Argonauts ( 1963 ), which featured a famous sword fight with seven skeleton warriors. His last film was Clash of the Titans ( 1981 ), after which he retired.

Harryhausen moved to the United Kingdom, became a dual US-UK citizen and lived in London from 1960 until his death in 2013. During his life, his innovative style of special effects in films inspired numerous filmmakers including George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, John Lasseter, Peter Jackson, John Landis, Joe Dante, Henry Selick, Tim Burton, James Cameron, J.J. Abrams, Guillermo del Toro and Wes Anderson.