View source for Russell Shearman


{{Infobox person
|image =
|imagesize =
| name        =  Russell Shearman
| birth_name  =
| birth_date   = {{birth date|1908|4|27}}
| birth_place  = [[Portland, Oregon]],USA
| death_date   = {{death date and age|1956|5|5|1908|4|27}}
| death_place  = off the coast of [[Cuba]]
| occupation  = [[Special effect|special effects artist]]
| yearsactive = 1946-1956
| children = 
}}

'''Russell Morrison Shearman''' (April 27, 1908 – May 5, 1956) was an [[Academy Award|Oscar]]-winning American [[Special effect|special effects artist]].  He was electrocuted while repairing equipment used in filming ''[[The Sharkfighters]]'' in Cuba 1956, serving as head technician on the picture.<ref name=LAT>[https://www.newspapers.com/clip/27368175/russell-shearman-obit "Special Effects Winner of Oscar Killed in Cuba"], obituary of Russell Shearman, ''Los Angeles Times'', May 8, 1956, p. 34</ref>

==Career==
As [[RKO|RKO Studio]]'s head of special effects, he won a Technical Achievement Award for ''[[It's a Wonderful Life]]'' at the [[19th Academy Awards]] in 1946, shared with department staffer [[Marty Martin (special effects artist)|Marty Martin]] and [[Jack Lannan]], for developing a new method of creating artificial snow for motion picture sets<ref>[https://time.com/3613817/its-a-wonderful-life-rare-photos-from-the-set-of-a-holiday-classic/ "''It’s a Wonderful Life'': Rare Photos From the Set of a Holiday Classic"], ''Time'', Ben Cosgrove, November 26, 2013</ref> it was the movie's only Award.

Before that time, most fake movie snow was mostly made from cornflakes painted white, and was so loud when stepped on that  dialogue had to be re-dubbed afterwards. The new compound utilized water, soap flakes, Foamite (a foaming agent made from licorice waste, used in fire extinguishers)<ref>U.S. Patent 1161090 (1915)</ref> and sugar.<ref>[https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/crazy-tricks-early-filmmakers-used-fake-snow-180961522/ "The Crazy Tricks Early Filmmakers Used To Fake Snow"], ''Smithsonian'', December 21, 2016</ref>

Shearman won an Academy Award during the [[21st Academy Awards]] for [[Academy Award for Best Visual Effects|Best Special Effects]] on the film ''[[Portrait of Jennie]]'', shared with [[Paul Eagler]], [[Charles L. Freeman]], [[Joseph McMillan Johnson]], [[Clarence Slifer]] and [[James G. Stewart]].<ref name="Oscars1949">{{Cite web|url=http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1949 |title=The 21st Academy Awards (1949) Nominees and Winners |accessdate=March 21, 2014|work=oscars.org}}</ref>

==Filmography==
*''[[The Sharkfighters]]'' (1956)
*''[[The Kentuckian (1955 film)|The Kentuckian]]'' (1955)
*''[[Beachhead (film)|Beachhead]]'' (1954)
*''[[Vera Cruz (film)|Vera Cruz]]'' (1954)
*''[[The Yellow Tomahawk]]'' (1954)
*''[[The Diamond Queen (1953 film)|The Diamond Queen]]'' (1953)
*''[[Bwana Devil]]'' (1952)
*''[[The Crimson Pirate]]'' (1952)
*''[[Hans Christian Andersen (film)|Hans Christian Andersen]]'' (1952)
*''[[Portrait of Jennie]]'' (1948)
*''[[It's a Wonderful Life]]'' (1946)

==Death==
According to Shearman's May 8, 1956 obituary in the ''Los Angeles Times'', he was "electrocuted while repairing equipment used for a film being made on the Isle of Pines in Cuba".<ref name=LAT/> The ''Times'' describes him as an Academy Award winning special effects man “credited with the development of many machines and gadgets used in motion-picture production”.<ref name=LAT/> It states he was serving as chief technician on the picture ''[[The Sharkfighters]]'', an account of the U.S. Navy's efforts to develop an effective shark repellent.  Shearman was not an underwater cameraman, and there is no indication he was working as one while electrocuted.<ref>A 1958 book by Australian author Victor M. Coppleson lists Shearman's death as "Man working on underwater scenes for film when [fatally] attacked". No supporting evidence or documentation is provided.  This account is reported in an online 'shark attack database' ({{cite web |title=Global Shark Accident File, Case: GSAF 1956.05.05 |url=https://sharkattackfile.net/spreadsheets/pdf_directory/1956.05.07-Shearman.pdf |publisher=Global Shark Accident File}}), depicted there as a "narrative" supported by "allegations".</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*{{IMDb name|id=0790480|name=Russell Shearman}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:Shearman, Russell}}
[[Category:Best Visual Effects Academy Award winners]]
[[Category:Academy Award for Technical Achievement winners]]
[[Category:1908 births]]
[[Category:1956 deaths]]
[[Category:American special effects people]]
[[Category:Accidental deaths by electrocution]]
[[Category:Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills)]]
[[Category:Accidental deaths in Cuba]]

{{Wikipedia attribution|original_title=Russell Shearman|access_date=2026-03-05}}