Brian Johnson
Born: 1939-06-29 in Surrey, England, UK
Known For: Crew
Biography
Brian Johncock (born 29 June 1939) is a British designer and director of film and television special effects. He changed his surname to Johnson during the 1960s. 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 (1965–66) and films including Alien (1979), 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. Johnson's work on Space: 1999 influenced the effects of the Star Wars films of the 1970s and 1980s. 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 1977 film. Having already been commissioned for the second series of Space: 1999, Johnson was unable to accept at the time. 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).
Filmography
2025
- Thunderbirds 60th Anniversary Double Bill - Trapped in the Sky / Terror in New York City ... (Special Effects Assistant)
- Prisoners in Space ... (Special Effects)
2024
- 2001: Creating Kubrick’s Space Odyssey as Himself
2018
- Family Vanished as Det. Flynn
- Century 21 Slough as Himself
2014
- Filmed in Supermarionation as Self
2003
- The Beast Within: Making Alien as Self
2001
- 2001: The Making of a Myth as Self
2000
- CSI: Crime Scene Investigation as Brad Malone
1999
- The Alien Legacy as Self
1996
- Space Truckers ... (Special Effects)
1994
- Highlander III: The Sorcerer ... (Visual Effects Supervisor)
1991
- Their Finest Hour ... (Writer)
1990
- Caged Fury ... (Stunts)
1989
- Slipstream ... (Special Effects)
1986
- Aliens ... (Special Effects)
1985
- Spies Like Us ... (Special Effects)
1984
- The NeverEnding Story ... (Special Effects)
1983
- The Pirates of Penzance ... (Special Effects Supervisor)
1982
- Journey Through the Black Sun ... (Special Effects)
- Countdown to Disaster ... (Special Effects)
1981
- Dragonslayer ... (Special Effects)
1980
- The Empire Strikes Back ... (Special Effects)
- Alien Attack ... (Special Effects)
1979
- Alien ... (Special Effects)
1978
- Revenge of the Pink Panther ... (Special Effects)
- The Medusa Touch ... (Special Effects Supervisor)
1977
- The Glitterball ... (Special Effects)
1975
- Space: 1999 ... (Visual Effects Director)
- Into Infinity ... (Special Effects)
1970
- Taste the Blood of Dracula ... (Special Effects)
- When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth ... (Special Effects)
1969
- Moon Zero Two ... (Special Effects)
1968
- 2001: A Space Odyssey ... (Special Effects)
1967
- Quatermass and the Pit ... (Special Effects Assistant)
1965
- Thunderbirds ... (Special Effects)
1964
- First Men in the Moon ... (Special Effects Assistant)
1963
- The Kiss of the Vampire ... (Special Effects Assistant)
1962
- Captain Clegg ... (Special Effects Assistant)
- The Phantom of the Opera ... (Special Effects)
1961
- The Day the Earth Caught Fire ... (Special Effects Assistant)
1958
- The Crawling Eye ... (Special Effects Assistant)
1957
- Quatermass 2 ... (Special Effects Assistant)