View source for Matt Sweeney (special effects artist)


{{other uses|Matthew Sweeney (disambiguation)}}
{{Infobox person
| image              = 
| imagesize          = 
| name               = Matt Sweeney
| birth_name         = Matthew Sweeney
| birth_date         = {{Birth date|1948|4||df=yes}}
| birth_place        = 
| death_date         = {{Death date and given age|2024|2|19|75}}
| death_place        = [[Burbank, California]], U.S.
| nationality        = American
| occupation         = [[Special effect|Visual effects artist]]
| yearsactive        = 1979–2009
| spouse             = {{Marriage|Lucinda Foy|2020}}
| children           = 
}}

'''Matthew Sweeney''' (April 1948 – February 19, 2024) was an American special effects artist who was nominated at the [[68th Academy Awards]] in the category of [[Academy Award for Best Visual Effects|Best Visual Effects]] along with [[Leslie Ekker]], [[Michael Kanfer]] and [[Robert Legato]]. They were nominated for their work on the film ''[[Apollo 13 (film)|Apollo 13]]''.<ref name="Oscars1996">{{Cite web|url=http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1996 |title=The 68th Academy Awards (1996) Nominees and Winners |accessdate=April 3, 2014|work=[[Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences]]|publisher=AMPAS}}</ref> 

Sweeney died in Burbank on February 19, 2024, at the age of 75, from prolonged lung cancer.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Barnes |first=Mike |date=22 February 2024 |title=Matt Sweeney, Oscar-Nominated Visual Effects Artist on 'Apollo 13,' Dies at 75 |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/matt-sweeney-dead-apollo-13-vfx-1235832686/ |access-date=22 February 2024 |website=The Hollywood Reporter |language=}}</ref>

== Awards ==
Sweeney received 3 [[Academy Award for Technical Achievement|Technical Achievement Awards]] at the Academy Awards.
*[[59th Academy Awards]]: For the development of an automatic capsule gun for simulating bullet hits for motion picture special effects (with Lucinda Strub).
*[[70th Academy Awards]]: For the development and realization of Liquid Synthetic Air (with James F. Foley, Charles Converse and F. Edward Gardner (of UCISCO); and to Robert W. Stoker, Jr.).
*[[74th Academy Awards]]: For the concept, design and realization of the "Mic Rig" (with [[Mic Rodgers]])<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=2002 {{!}} Oscars.org {{!}} Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences |url=https://www.oscars.org/sci-tech/ceremonies/2002 |access-date=2023-06-15 |website=www.oscars.org |date=19 February 2015 |language=en}}</ref>

==Selected filmography==

*''[[The Goonies]]'' (1985)
*''[[American Flyers]]'' (1985)
*''[[The Color Purple (1985 film)|The Color Purple]]'' (1985)
*''[[The Lost Boys]]'' (1987)
*''[[Big Top Pee-wee]]'' (1988)
*''[[Lethal Weapon 2]]'' (1989)
*''[[Rockula]]'' (1990)
*''[[Arachnophobia (film)|Arachnophobia]]'' (1990)
*''[[Lethal Weapon 2]]'' (1992)
*''[[Falling Down]]'' (1993)
*''[[Maverick (film)|Maverick]]'' (1994)
*''[[Natural Born Killers]]'' (1994)
*''[[Apollo 13 (film)|Apollo 13]]'' (1995)
*''[[The Cable Guy]]'' (1996)
*''[[Batman & Robin (film)|Batman & Robin]]'' (1997)
*''[[Lethal Weapon 4]]'' (1998)
*''[[Galaxy Quest]]'' (1999)
*''[[The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift]]'' (2006)
*''[[Knocked Up]]'' (2007)
*''[[Role Models]]'' (2008)
*''[[Fast & Furious (2009 film)|Fast and Furious]]'' (2009)<ref>{{Cite web |date=2001-06-22 |title=Bad Dialogue, Silliness come Fast & Furious in Race car thriller |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/13558245 |access-date=2023-06-30 |website=Daily Herald |language=en}}</ref>
*''[[Fast Five]]'' (2011)
*''[[Furious 7]]'' (2015)

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*{{IMDb name|0842157|name=Matt Sweeney}}

{{BAFTA Award for Best Special Visual Effects}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:Sweeney, Matt}}
[[Category:1948 births]]
[[Category:2024 deaths]]
[[Category:American special effects people]]
[[Category:Best Visual Effects BAFTA Award winners]]
[[Category:Academy Award for Technical Achievement winners]]
[[Category:Deaths from lung cancer in California]]


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{{Wikipedia attribution|original_title=Matt Sweeney (special effects artist)|access_date=2026-03-04}}