Roger Dicken, Oscar-nominated special effects actor known for his work on Alien and When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth, has died at the age of 84.
The visual effects artist, sculptor and model maker died on February 18 at his home in North Wales, his friend of five decades revealed to Mick Cooper. The Hollywood Reporter.
Born on April 15, 1939 in Portsmouth, Hampshire, Roger Maxwell Dicken would go on to sculpt incredible figures for acclaimed films.
The first film Roger worked on was Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey in 1968, but it was When the Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth in 1970 that earned Roger his nod.
Having sculpted several prehistoric creatures, including two life-size pterodactyl legs, Roger shared an Oscar nomination for best visual effects with animator Jim Danforth, but the pair lost to the Disney film Bedknobs and Broomsticks.
Roger Dicken (left), Oscar-nominated special effects actor known for his work on Alien and When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth, has died at the age of 84.
The visual effects artist, sculptor and model maker (left) died on February 18 at his home in North Wales, his friend of five decades Mick Cooper revealed to The Hollywood Reporter.
In an interview with Ken Miller for Film Extremes Magazine In 1992, Roger discussed the creation of the murderous creature in Alien that attacks Executive Officer Kane, played by John Hurt.
He said: “I crawled under the TV with my hand-held alien activated, and it was this, of course, that ended up disgustingly appearing through his body and stopping momentarily to twitch and breathe etc., before coming off the table.
«Two assistants, holding simple squeezable bubbles attached to plastic tubes, made the small sacs of the body, etc., beat.
“The monster’s exit was achieved by pushing myself under the table, lying on a cart with my arm supporting the puppet, passing it through a slot while knocking over strategically placed utensils in the process of disappearing.”
However, Roger, who is survived by his wife Wendy, was not one of the five people who shared the Oscar nomination for Ridley Scott’s Alien.
Roger spoke of his ambition to create one of the old gorilla suits from 1940s films, but said he only managed to create the top ape mask using paper mache and then covered with fur.
Born on April 15, 1939 in Portsmouth, Hampshire, Roger Maxwell Dicken would go on to sculpt incredible figures for acclaimed films.
The first film Roger worked on was Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), but it was When the Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth in 1970 that earned Roger his nod.
Having sculpted several prehistoric creatures, including two life-size pterodactyl legs, Roger shared an Oscar nomination for best visual effects with animator Jim Danforth, but the pair lost to the Disney film Bedknobs and Broomsticks.
In an interview with Ken Miller for Film Extremes magazine in 1992, Roger discussed the creation of the murderous creature in Alien that attacks Executive Officer Kane, played by John Hurt.
He said: “I crawled under the TV with my hand-held alien activated, and it was this, of course, that ended up disgustingly appearing through his body and stopping momentarily to twitch and breathe etc., before leaving the table.” .
“I scared the shit out of a couple of local girls coming home from a late-night dance,” he said of the mask.
Roger created and operated the dinosaur puppets in the 1974 film The Land That Time Forgot.
Throughout his career, he created many monsters and animals for films, including the moth monster from 1968’s The Blood Beast Terror, starring Peter Cushing.
Roger also worked on Witchfinder General (1968), created bats for Scars of Dracula (1970) and octopuses for Warlords of the Deep (1978), among others.
However, Roger, who is survived by his wife Wendy, was not one of the five people who shared the Oscar nomination for Ridley Scott’s Alien.
Roger spoke of his ambition to create one of the old gorilla suits from 1940s films, but said he only managed to create the top ape mask using paper mache and then covered with fur.
Roger created and operated the dinosaur puppets in the 1974 film The Land That Time Forgot.