View source for Brian Johnson (special effects artist)


{{Use British English|date=November 2025}}

{{Infobox person
| name         = Brian Johnson
| birth_date   = 
{{birth date and age
| df           = yes
|1939
|6
|29
}}
or
{{birth date and age
| df           = yes
|1940
|6
|29
}}
| birth_place  = [[Surrey]], England
| birth_name   = Brian Johncock
| occupation   = Special effects artist, film director
| years_active = 1957&ndash;2006
| credits      = ''[[Alien (film)|Alien]]'' (1979)<br>{{Nowrap|''[[The Empire Strikes Back]]'' (1980)}}
| television   = ''[[Thunderbirds (TV series)|Thunderbirds]]'' (1965&ndash;66)<br>''[[Space: 1999]]'' (1975&ndash;78)
| awards       = [[Academy Award for Best Visual Effects]] (1980)<br>[[Special Achievement Academy Award]] (1981)<br>[[Saturn Award for Best Special Effects|Saturn Award]] (1981)<br>[[BAFTA Award for Best Special Visual Effects|BAFTA Award]] (1987)
}}
'''Brian Johnson'''<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Prop Gallery {{!}} Meet Brian Johnson |url=https://www.thepropgallery.com/meet-brian-johnson |access-date=3 June 2024 |website=www.thepropgallery.com}}</ref> (born 29 June 1939<ref>{{Cite web |url = https://britishcinematographer.co.uk/brian-johnson/ |title = Brian Johnson |date = 15 April 2016 }}</ref> or 29 June 1940<ref name="bookyear">''Imagining Outer Space: European Astroculture in the Twentieth Century''</ref>) is a British designer and director of film and television [[special effect]]s. Born '''Brian Johncock''',<ref name="WMTG">{{cite book |last1 = Archer |first1 = Simon |last2 = Hearn |first2 = Marcus |title = What Made Thunderbirds Go! The Authorised Biography of Gerry Anderson |year = 2002 |publisher = [[BBC Books]] |location = London |isbn = 978-0-563-53481-5 |page = 215 }}</ref> he changed his surname to Johnson during the 1960s.<ref name="WMTG"/>

==Career==
Joining the team of special effects artist [[Les Bowie]], Johnson started his career behind the scenes for Bowie Films on productions such as ''[[On the Buses]]'', and for [[Hammer Films]].  He is known for his special effects work on TV series including ''[[Thunderbirds (TV series)|Thunderbirds]]'' (1965&ndash;66) and films including ''[[Alien (film)|Alien]]'' (1979),<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.bloody-disgusting.com/news/20881 |title = Bring on the Gore: Top Ten Practical Effects in Horror! |date = 28 April 2016 |publisher = BloodyDisgusting }}</ref> for which he received the 1980 [[Academy Award for Best Visual Effects]] (shared with [[H. R. Giger]], [[Carlo Rambaldi]], [[Dennis Ayling]] and [[Nick Allder]]). Previously, he had built miniature spacecraft models for [[Stanley Kubrick]]'s 1968 film ''[[2001: A Space Odyssey]]''.<ref>Drake, Chris: ''UFO and Space: 1999''. Boxtree. p.&nbsp;58.</ref>

Johnson's work on ''[[Space: 1999]]'' influenced the effects of the ''[[Star Wars]]'' films of the 1970s and 1980s.<ref>[https://archive.today/20120911160052/http://www.space1999.net/catacombs/main/crguide/vcs.html%23BrianJohnson#BrianJohnson The Catacombs&mdash;Brian Johnson]. space1999.net.</ref> Impressed by his work, [[George Lucas]] visited Johnson during the production of the TV series to offer him the role of effects supervisor for the [[Star Wars (film)|1977 film]]. Having already been commissioned for the second series of ''Space: 1999'', Johnson was unable to accept at the time.<ref>[https://archive.today/20120910190402/http://www.space1999.net/catacombs/press/vcsjohnson2.html Brian Johnson Interview, 1979]. space1999.net.</ref> He worked on the sequel, ''[[The Empire Strikes Back]]'' (1980), whose special effects were recognised in the form of a 1981 [[Special Achievement Academy Award]] (which Johnson shared with [[Richard Edlund]], [[Dennis Muren]] and [[Bruce Nicholson]]).

===Awards===
Johnson has won [[Academy Awards]] for both ''Alien'' (1979) and ''The Empire Strikes Back'' (1980). He was further nominated for an Academy Award for his work on ''[[Dragonslayer (1981 film)|Dragonslayer]]'' (1981). In addition, Johnson is the recipient of a [[Saturn Award for Best Special Effects|Saturn Award]] for ''The Empire Strikes Back'' and a [[BAFTA Award for Best Special Visual Effects|BAFTA Award]] for [[James Cameron]]'s  ''[[Aliens (film)|Aliens]]''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://static.bafta.org/uploads_pre_202411/heritagehandoutneverendingstory02.pdf|title=BAFTA Family Heritage Screening: ''The NeverEnding Story''|year=2015|publisher=[[British Academy of Film and Television Arts]]|format=PDF}}</ref>

==Filmography==

===Special effects===
{{Cast listing|
* ''[[Quatermass 2]]'' (1957) (special effects assistant, uncredited)
* ''[[Kiss of the Vampire (film)|Kiss of the Vampire]]'' (1963) (special effects assistant, uncredited)
* ''[[Thunderbirds (TV series)|Thunderbirds]]'' (TV series) (1965–66) (special effects director)
* ''[[2001: A Space Odyssey]]'' (1968) (special effects assistant, uncredited)
* ''[[Moon Zero Two]]'' (1969) (special effects assistant, uncredited)
* ''[[Taste the Blood of Dracula]]'' (1970) (special effects) (as Brian Johncock)
* ''[[When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth]]'' (1970) (special effects) (as Brian Johncock)
* ''[[A Clockwork Orange (film)|A Clockwork Orange]]'' (1971) (special effects assistant, uncredited)
* ''[[Space: 1999]]'' (TV series) (special effects—24 episodes, 1975–76; special effects director—24 episodes, 1976–78; special effects designer—18 episodes, 1976–78; special effect designer—6 episodes, 1976)
* ''[[The Day After Tomorrow (TV special)|The Day After Tomorrow]]'' (TV pilot, 1975) (special effects designer)
* ''[[The Medusa Touch (film)|The Medusa Touch]]'' (1978) (special effects supervisor)
* ''[[Revenge of the Pink Panther]]'' (1978) (special effects)
* ''[[Alien (film)|Alien]]'' (1979) (special effects supervisor)
* ''[[The Empire Strikes Back]]'' (1980) (special effects supervisor)
* ''[[Dragonslayer (1981 film)|Dragonslayer]]'' (1981) (supervisor of special mechanical effects)
* ''[[The Pirates of Penzance (1983 film)|The Pirates of Penzance]]'' (1983) (special effects supervisor)
* ''[[The NeverEnding Story (film)|The NeverEnding Story]]'' (1984) (director of special effects)
* ''[[Spies Like Us]]'' (1985) (special effects supervisor)
* ''[[Aliens (film)|Aliens]]'' (1986) (special effects)
* ''[[Slipstream (1989 film)|Slipstream]]'' (1989) (special effects)
* ''[[Dragonheart]]'' (1996) (micro-light coordinator)
* ''[[Space Truckers]]'' (1996) (special effects supervisor)
* ''[[Dream Street (UK TV series)|Dream Street]]'' (1999) (director)
}}

===Director===
* ''[[Scragg 'n' Bones]]'' (2006)

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*{{IMDb name|0424644|Brian Johnson}}

{{Navboxes
|title = Awards for Brian Johnson
|list =
{{Academy Award Best Visual Effects}}
{{BAFTA Award for Best Special Visual Effects}}
{{Special Achievement Academy Award}}
{{Saturn Award for Best Special Effects}}
}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, Brian}}
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Best Visual Effects Academy Award winners]]
[[Category:Best Visual Effects BAFTA Award winners]]
[[Category:British special effects people]]
[[Category:Miniature model-makers]]
[[Category:People from Surrey]]
[[Category:Special Achievement Academy Award winners]]
[[Category:Year of birth missing (living people)]]

{{Wikipedia attribution|original_title=Brian Johnson (special effects artist)|access_date=2026-02-27}}