About

Known credits:
14
Birthday:
1959-07-21
Place of birth:
Detroit, Michigan, USA
Website:

John Nelson

Overview

John Nelson (born July 21, 1953) is an American visual effects supervisor. He has won two Academy Awards for Best Visual Effects for his work on the films Gladiator (2000) and Blade Runner 2049 (2017). He has also been nominated for I, Robot (2004) and Iron Man (2008).

He also won the 2018 British Academy of Film and Television Arts for the Special Visual Effects in Blade Runner 2049.

After graduating with high distinction from the University of Michigan in 1976, he worked as a cameraman, technical director, and director at the pioneering computer animation and commercial production company Robert Abel and Associates, where he won two Clio awards and earned six additional Clio nominations. Early in his career while at ILM, Nelson modelled, animated, lit, and composited several shots for Terminator 2: Judgement Day (1991), including the iconic scene in which the shotgunned head of the chrome terminator splits open and reseals. He is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the Visual Effects Society, the International Cinematographers Guild, and the Directors Guild of America.

Description above from the Wikipedia article John Nelson, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Known for

Acting

2005 Strength and Honor: Creating the World of 'Gladiator' Actor Self 59
Average
2000 Gladiator Games: The Roman Bloodsport Actor Self 59
Average

Visual Effects

2017 Blade Runner 2049 Visual Effects Visual Effects Supervisor 75
Good
2015 Point Break Visual Effects Visual Effects Supervisor 59
Average
2015 Blackhat Visual Effects Visual Effects Supervisor 55
Average
2010 The Sorcerer's Apprentice Visual Effects Visual Effects Supervisor 60
Fair
2008 Iron Man Visual Effects Visual Effects Supervisor 76
Good
2004 I, Robot Visual Effects Visual Effects Supervisor 69
Fair
2000 Gladiator Visual Effects Visual Effects Supervisor 81
Very good
1998 City of Angels Visual Effects Visual Effects Supervisor 66
Fair
1997 Anaconda Visual Effects Visual Effects Supervisor 53
Average
1996 The Cable Guy Visual Effects Visual Effects Supervisor 59
Average
1993 My Life Visual Effects Visual Effects Supervisor 61
Fair
1991 Terminator 2: Judgment Day Visual Effects CG Animator 80
Very good