Ray Harryhausen

Ray Harryhausen 1920-present) is one of the most famous american special affects artists. He was inspired by Willis O'Brien's King Kong film, and based many of the creatures in his movies off of the giant gorrila. Through the 50s and 70s, Harryhausen created many stop-motion animation monsters in movies from Mighty-Joe Young to Clash of the Titans. Harryhausen devolped an intressed in dinosaurs and included them and other prehistoric beasts in many of his other works, even films that take place in western films and the middle ages.