Favorite Creature Performers
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- Actor
- Soundtrack
Along with fellow actors Lon Chaney, Bela Lugosi and Vincent Price, Boris Karloff is recognized as one of the true icons of horror cinema, and the actor most closely identified with the general public's perception of the "Monster" from the classic Mary Shelley novel "Frankenstein". William Henry Pratt was born on November 23, 1887, in Camberwell, London, England, UK, the son of Edward John Pratt Jr., the Deputy Commissioner of Customs Salt and Opium, Northern Division, Indian Salt Revenue Service, and his third wife, Eliza Sarah Millard.
He was educated at London University in anticipation that he would pursue a diplomatic career; however, he emigrated to Canada in 1909, joined a touring company based out of Ontario and adopted the stage name of "Boris Karloff." He toured back and forth across the U.S. for over 10 years in a variety of low budget theater shows and eventually ended up in Hollywood, reportedly with very little money to his name. Needing cash to support himself, Karloff secured occasional acting work in the fledgling silent film industry in such pictures as The Deadlier Sex (1920), Omar the Tentmaker (1922), Dynamite Dan (1924) and Tarzan and the Golden Lion (1927), in addition to a handful of serials (the majority of which, sadly, have not survived). Karloff supplemented his meager film income by working as a truck driver in Los Angeles, which allowed him enough time off to continue to pursue acting roles.
His big break came in 1931 when he was cast as "the Monster" in the Universal production of Frankenstein (1931), directed by James Whale, one of the studio's few remaining auteur directors. The aura of mystery surrounding Karloff was highlighted in the opening credits, as he was listed as simply "?". The film was a commercial and critical success for Universal, and Karloff was instantly established as a hot property in Hollywood. He quickly appeared in several other sinister roles, including Scarface (1932) (filmed before Frankenstein (1931)), the black-humored The Old Dark House (1932), as the namesake Chinese villain of Sax Rohmer's Dr. Fu Manchu novels in The Mask of Fu Manchu (1932), as the undead Im-ho-tep in The Mummy (1932) and as the misguided Prof. Morlant in The Ghoul (1933). He thoroughly enjoyed his role as a religious fanatic in John Ford's The Lost Patrol (1934), although contemporary critics described it as a textbook example of overacting.
He donned the signature make-up, neck bolts and asphalt spreader's boots again to play the Frankenstein Monster twice, in the sensational Bride of Frankenstein (1935) and the less thrilling Son of Frankenstein (1939). Karloff, on loan to Fox, appeared in one of the best of the Warner Oland Charlie Chan films, Charlie Chan at the Opera (1936), before beginning his own short-lived Mr. Wong detective series. He was a wrongly condemned doctor in Devil's Island (1938), shaven-headed executioner "Mord the Merciless" in Tower of London (1939), another misguided scientist in The Ape (1940), a crazed scientist surrounded by monsters, vampires and werewolves in House of Frankenstein (1944), a murderous cabman in The Body Snatcher (1945) and a Greek general fighting vampirism in the Val Lewton thriller Isle of the Dead (1945).
While Karloff continued appearing in a plethora of films, many of them were not up to the standards of his previous efforts, including appearances in two of the hokey Bud Abbott and Lou Costello monster films (he had appeared with them in an earlier, superior film, Bud Abbott Lou Costello Meet the Killer Boris Karloff (1949), of which theater owners often added his name to the marquee), the low point of the Universal-International horror film cycle. During the 1950s he was a regular guest on many high-profile TV shows, including The Milton Berle Show (1948), Tales of Tomorrow (1951), The Veil (1958), The Donald O'Connor Show (1954), The Red Skelton Hour (1951) and The Dinah Shore Chevy Show (1956), to name a few, and he appeared in a mixed bag of films, including Sabaka (1954) and Voodoo Island (1957). On Broadway, he appeared as the murderous Brewster brother in the hit "Arsenic and Old Lace" (his role, or rather the absence of him in it, was amusingly parodied in the 1944 film version) and 10 years later he enjoyed a long run in "Peter Pan," perfectly cast as "Captain Hook."
His career experienced something of a revival in the 1960s thanks to hosting the TV anthology series Thriller (1960) and indie director Roger Corman, with Karloff contributing wonderful performances in The Raven (1963), The Terror (1963), the ultra-eerie Black Sabbath (1963) and the H.P. Lovecraft-inspired Die, Monster, Die! (1965). Karloff's last great film role was as Byron Orlok, an aging horror film star on the brink of retirement confronting a modern-day sniper in the Peter Bogdanovich film Targets (1968). In 1970, he played the blind sculptor Franz Badulescu in Cauldron of Blood (1968) which was produced, directed and written by Edward Mann, who had also come to the art of film from the stage and the theater. His TV career was capped off by achieving Christmas immortality as both the voices of the titular character and the narrator of Chuck Jones's perennial animated favorite, How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (1966). Four low-budget Mexican-produced horror films starring an ailing Karloff were released in the two years after his death; however, they do no justice to this actor. In retrospect, he never took himself too seriously as an actor and had a tendency to downplay his acting accomplishments. Renowned as a refined, kind and warm-hearted gentleman with a sincere affection for children and their welfare, Karloff passed away on February 2, 1969 from emphysema. Respectful of his Indian roots and in true Hindu fashion, he was cremated at Guildford Crematorium, Godalming, Surrey, England, UK, where he is commemorated by a plaque in Plot 2 of the Garden of Remembrance.Frankenstein's Monster
Imhotep (The Mummy)- Actor
- Stunts
- Transportation Department
Haruo Nakajima was born on 1 January 1929 in Yamagata, Japan. He was an actor, known for Seven Samurai (1954), Godzilla (1954) and Godzilla vs. Gigan (1972). He died on 7 August 2017 in Japan.Kaiju creatures:
Godzilla
King Kong
Baragon
Mothra
Varan
Megagurius
Rodan- Actor
- Director
- Writer
Although his parents were deaf, Leonidas Chaney became an actor and also owner of a theatre company (together with his brother John). He made his debut at the movies in 1912, and his filmography is vast. Lon Chaney was especially famous for his horror parts in movies like e.g. Quasimodo in The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1923). Due to his special make-up effects he carried the characterization to be "the man with the thousand faces." He only filmed one movie with sound: The remake of one of his earlier films The Unholy Three (1930). His son, Lon Chaney Jr., became a famous actor of the horror genre.Phantom of the Opera
Quasimodo (Hunchback of Notre Dame)- Actor
- Producer
- Soundtrack
The youngest of four brothers, Doug Jones was born on May 24, 1960, in Indianapolis, Indiana, and grew up in the city's Northeastside. After attending Bishop Chatard High School, he headed off to Ball State University, where he graduated in 1982 with a Bachelor's degree in Telecommunications and a minor in Theatre.
He learned mime at school, joining a troupe and doing the whole white-face thing, and has also worked as a contortionist.
After a hitch in theater in Indiana, he moved to Los Angeles in 1985, and has not been out of work since; he's acted in over 25 films, many television series (Including the award-winning Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997); his episode "Hush" garnered two Emmy nominations) and over 90 commercials and music videos with the likes of Madonna and Marilyn Manson.
Although known mostly for his work under prosthetics, he has also performed as 'himself' in such highly-rated films as Adaptation. (2002) with Nicolas Cage and indie projects such as Phil Donlon's A Series of Small Things (2005).
But it is his sensitive and elegant performance as Abe Sapien in Hellboy (2004), which stormed to the top of the U.S. box office in the spring of 2004, that has brought him an even higher profile and much praise from audiences and critics alike.
Doug is married and lives in California.Abe Sapien/Angel of Death/ Chamberlain (Hellboy)
El Fauno/Pale man (Pan's Labriyinth)
Silver Surfer (Fantastic Four)
Morlock (Time Machine)
Cochise (Falling Skies)
Joey (Men in Black)- Actor
- Producer
- Director
English film actor, director and author Andy Serkis is known for his performance capture roles comprising motion capture acting, animation and voice work for such computer-generated characters as Gollum in The Lord of the Rings film trilogy (2001-2003) and The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012), the eponymous King Kong in the 2005 film, Caesar in Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011) and Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014), Captain Haddock / Sir Francis Haddock in Steven Spielberg's The Adventures of Tintin (2011) and Supreme Leader Snoke in Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens (2015). Serkis earned a Golden Globe Award nomination for his portrayal of serial killer Ian Brady in the British television film Longford (2006), and was nominated for a BAFTA Award for his portrayal of new wave and punk rock musician Ian Dury in the biopic Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll (2010). In 2015, he had a small role in Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015). Serkis has his own motion capture workshop, The Imaginarium Studios in London, which he will use for his directorial debut, Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle (2018).
Andrew Clement G. Serkis was born April 20, 1964, in Ruislip Manor, West London, England. He has three sisters and a brother. His father, Clement Serkis, an ethnic Armenian whose original family surname was Serkissian, was a medical doctor working abroad, in Iraq; the Serkis family spent time around the Middle East, and for the first ten years of his life, Andy traveled between Baghdad and London. His mother, Lylie (Weech), who is British-born, was busy working as a special education teacher of handicapped children, so Andy and his four siblings were raised with au pairs in the house. Young Serkis wanted to be an artist; he was fond of painting and drawing, and visualized himself working behind the scenes. He attended St. Benedict's School, a Roman Catholic School for boys at the Benedictine Abbey in London. Serkis studied visual arts at Lancaster University in the north-west of England. There, he became involved in mechanical aspects of the theatre and did stage design and set building for theatrical productions. Then, Serkis was asked to play a role in a student production, and made his stage debut in Barrie Keeffe's play, "Gotcha"; thereafter, he switched from stage design to acting, which was a real calling that transformed his life.
Instead of going to an acting college, Serkis, in 1985, began his professional acting career at the Duke's Playhouse in Lancaster, where he was given an Equity card and performed in fourteen plays, one after another, as an apprentice of Jonathan Petherbridge. After that, he worked in touring theatre companies, doing it for no money, fueled by a sense of enthusiasm, moving to a new town every week. He has thus appeared in a host of popular plays and on almost every renowned British stage. In 1989, he appeared in a stage production of William Shakespeare's "Macbeth", so beginning his long association with the Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester, where he would return many times, to appear in "She Stoops to Conquer", "Your Home in the West" and the "True Nature of Love", among other plays. In the 1990s, Serkis began to make his mark on the London stage, appearing at the Royal Court Theatre as "The Fool" in "King Lear", making his interpretation of "The Fool" as the woman that "Lear", a widower, could relate to - a man, in drag, as a Victorian musician. He also appeared as "Potts" in the hit play, "Mojo", playing in front of full houses and earning huge critical success. In 1987, Serkis made his debut on television, and he acted in several major British TV miniseries throughout the 1990s.
In 1999, Andy Serkis landed the prize role of "Gollum" in Peter Jackson's epic film trilogy based on J.R.R. Tolkien's saga, "The Lord of the Rings". He spent four years in the part and received awards and nominations for his performance as "Gollum", a computer-generated character in The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003), which won 11 Oscars. "Gollum" was the collaborative team's effort around Serkis's work in performance capture - an art form based on CGI-assisted acting. Serkis's work was an interactive performance in a skin-tight CGI suit with markers allowing cameras to track and register 3D position for each marker. Serkis' every nuance was picked up by several cameras positioned at precisely calculated angles to allow for the software to see enough information to process the image. The images of Serkis' performances were translated into the digital format by animators at Weta Digital studio in New Zealand. There, his image was key-frame animated and then edited into the movie, Serkis did have one scene in "The Return of the King" showing how he originally had the ring, killing another hobbit to posses it after they found it during a fishing trip. He drew from his three cats clearing fur balls out of their throats to develop the constricted voice he produced for "Gollum" and "Sméagol", and it was also enhanced by sound editing in post-production.
Serkis spent almost two years in New Zealand and away from his family, and much of 2002 and 2003 in post-production studios for large periods of time, due to complexity of the creative process of bringing the character of "Gollum" to the screen. Serkis had to shoot two versions for every scene; one version was with him on camera, acting with (chiefly) Elijah Wood and Sean Astin, which served both to show Wood and Astin the moves so that they could precisely interact with the movements of "Gollum", and to provide the CGI artists the subtleties of Gollum's physical movements and facial expressions for their manual finishing of the animated images. In the other version, he'd go the voice off-camera, as Wood and Astin repeated their movements as though "Gollum" were there with them; that take would be the basis for inserting the CGI Gollum used in the released movie. In post-production, Serkis was doing motion-capture wearing a skintight motion capture suit with CGI gear while acting as a virtual puppeteer redoing every single scene in the studio. Additional CGI rotomation was done by animators using the human eye instead of the computer to capture the subtleties of Serkis' performance. Serkis also used this art form in his performance as "Kong" in King Kong (2005), which won him a Toronto Film Critics Association Award (2005) for his unprecedented work helping to realize the main character in "King Kong", and a Visual Effects Society Award (2006) for Outstanding Animated Character in a Live Action Motion Picture.
Apart from his line of CGI-driven characters, Serkis continued with traditional acting in several leading and supporting roles, such as his appearances as "Richard Kneeland" opposite Jennifer Garner in 13 Going on 30 (2004), and "Alley" opposite David Bowie in The Prestige (2006), among other film performances. On television, he starred as 'Vincent Van Gogh' in the sixth episode of Simon Schama's Power of Art (2006), the BBC2 series about artists. Serkis is billed as "Capricorn" in the upcoming adventure film, Inkheart (2008). At the same time, he continued the development of performance capture while expanding his career into computer games. He starred as "King Bothan" in the martial arts drama, Heavenly Sword (2007), a Playstation 3 title, for which he provided a basis for his in-game face and also acts as a dramatic director on the project.
Andy Serkis married actress and singer Lorraine Ashbourne, and the couple have three children: daughter Ruby Serkis (born in 1998), and two sons Sonny Serkis (born in 2000) and Louis Ashbourne Serkis (born on 19 June 2004), who is now also a movie star. Away from acting, Andy Serkis is an accomplished amateur painter. Since his school years at Lancaster, being so close to the Lake District, Serkis developed his other passion in life: mountaineering. He is a pescetarian. Serkis has been active in charitable causes, such as The Hope Foundation, which provides essential life-saving medical aid for children suffering from Leukemia and children from countries devastated by war. In October 2006, he was a presenter at the first annual British Academy Video Games Awards at the Roundhouse, London. Andy Serkis lives with his family in North London, England.King Kong
Gollum (Lord of the Rings/The Hobbit)
Ceaser (Planet of the Apes)- Special Effects
- Make-Up Department
- Actor
Tom Woodruff Jr. was born in 1959 in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, USA. He is an actor, known for Starship Troopers (1997), Death Becomes Her (1992) and Alien: Resurrection (1997). He is married to Tami Spitler Woodruff. They have three children.Pumpkinhead
Gillman
Crocodile/Lion (Jumanji)
Alien/Grid (Alien series/Alien vs Predator)
Bernie the Gorilla (Zookeeper)
Goro (Mortal Kombat)- Actor
- Stunts
- Producer
Deep Roy was born on 26 January 1949 in Nairobi, Kenya. He is an actor and producer, known for Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005), Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980) and The NeverEnding Story (1984).Keenser (Star Trek)
Yoda/Droopy McCool/Ewok (Star Wars)
Gorilla Kid (Planet of the Apes)
Decima (Blake's 7)
Ape (Legend of Tarzan)
Fellini (Flash Gordon)
Dark Chrystal Puppeteer- Actor
- Stunts
- Visual Effects
Derek Mears was born on April 29, 1972 in Bakersfield, California, USA. He has numerous credits as both an actor and a stuntman, and he got his breakthrough lead role in the 2009 Friday the 13th film. He is known for his work on Sleepy Hollow (2013-2017), Predators (2010) and Men in Black II (2002).Predator
Edward (Hansel & Gretel)
Chameleon (The Hills Have Eyes 2)
Cyclops (Percy Jackson)
Zombie (Pirates of the Caribbean)
Zorgon (Zathura)
Wearwolf (Cursed)- Actor
- Writer
- Producer
English actor Warwick Davis was born in Epsom, Surrey, England, the son of Susan J. (Pain) and Ashley Davis, an insurance broker. Davis was born with the condition spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia congenital (SED), which caused his dwarfism. He was educated at City of London Freemen's School. When he was 11 years old, his grandmother heard a radio appeal for people under four feet tall to appear in Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983). A huge Star Wars fan, Davis auditioned successfully and was cast as an extra, playing an Ewok. Kenny Baker was cast as lead Ewok Wicket, but fell ill so George Lucas chose Davis to replace him. The film was a smash hit, and Davis went on to reprise his role as Wicket in further TV projects - The Ewok Adventure (1984) and Ewoks: The Battle for Endor (1985).
Davis next big role came with a part specifically written for him, as the titular hero in Willow (1988). Other successes followed with roles in such projects as Prince Caspian and the Voyage of the Dawn Treader (1989) and two distinctly different film series - the 'Harry Potter' and 'Leprechaun' film series. In 2006, he appeared in a cameo role in Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant's hit sitcom Extras (2005), which led to the pair writing a series specifically for Davis, the comic mockumentary Life's Too Short (2011).
Davis, along with his father-in-law Peter Burroughs, is also the director of an acting agency for very short and tall actors called Willow Management. He is married to Samantha Davis and they have a son and a daughter.Leprechaun
Wicket the Ewok (Star Wars)
Flitwick/Griphook (Harry Potter)
Goblin (Labyrinth)
Reepicheep/Glimfeather (Narnia)
Marvin (Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy)- Actor
- Additional Crew
- Stunts
As a child, Brian Steele knew only two speeds: full throttle and off. Perpetually hyperactive and adventurous, young Brian constantly pushed boundaries and tested the patience of his parents and teachers.
But Brian's boundless energy and ambition had no direction, growing up in small-town Highland, Michigan. But soon a few local Detroit television programs changed all that. Brian discovered "Monster Week," The Ghoul, and Sir Graves Ghastly - fright fest-y shows whose creature-characters he found fascinating.
Towering over classmates at an astounding 6'7", Brian again found himself turning to onscreen icons for inspiration; watching over-the-top physical comedy by the Three Stooges and Laurel and Hardy helped him embrace his physical awkwardness.
But lacking an outlet for his energy or any focus on a career, Brian had no direction.
In 1985 he moved to the Florida Keys, hoping to discover his dreams there. But after two years working odd jobs like bagging groceries, working at a go-cart track, and on the docks at the local marina, Brian decided to move one more time. With only $700, a duffel bag full of clothes and a 10-speed bicycle, he bought a one-way ticket to Los Angeles.
Brian's gamble paid off. L.A. loved him. Universal Studios Theme Park took one look at the awkward 24 year-old and knew exactly what to do with him; they hired him to perform as Frankenstein's monster.
When Universal was searching for a man to don the suit for the television version of Harry and the Henderson's, they didn't have to look far. Brian was thrilled to be surrounded with cast mates who helped nurture his talents as an actor. Always patient and supportive with him as he became familiar with his new job responsibilities, the cast of HATH gave Brian the confidence to cultivate his craft.
48 episodes as Harry led to a role on NBC's sci-fi series, Earth 2. Brian learned quickly about the niche in Hollywood for "creature actors." Glued, painted, Velcro-ed, snapped and harnessed into bodysuits and masks, Brian made a name for himself as the man who could bring monsters to life.
Since 1997, he has played characters tailor made to scare audiences. That year, The Relic opened the door for Brian to work with Hollywood heavy-hitters. He breathed life into villains in the Underworld Trilogy and Blade: Trinity. He's worked with acclaimed directors Guillermo Del Toro (both Hellboy films) and M. Night Shayamalan (Lady in the Water). He's taken on creatures alongside Adrian Brody, Christian Bale and Tom Sizemore. The menacing bear Anthony Hopkins and Alec Baldwin battle in The Edge? That's Brian Steele.
After over 20 years breathing life into characters onscreen, keeping each character fresh and new is easier said than done. But Brian "enjoy(s) the challenge." In 2009, he got the opportunity to portray the T-600, Terminator Salvation's latest incarnation of the Terminator.Predator
Harry and the Hendersons
Werewolf/William/Big Lycan (Underworld)
Mr Wink/Cronie/Troll/Sammael (Hellboy)
T-600 (Terminator)
Creature (Blade: Trinity)
Kothoga (The Relic)
Jumbo (Monkeybone)
Tartutic (Lady in the Water)- Additional Crew
- Stunts
- Actor
TERRY NOTARY began taking gymnastics class at the age of eight and by the time he graduated high school was the top collegiate pick with athletic scholarships to Berkeley, West Point, Stanford and UCLA. While at UCLA, Notary was a four-time NCAA All American and captain of the gymnastics team. Upon graduating with a major in theater, he was immediately recruited by the Cirque du Soleil, where he and 10 other performers from around the world assembled to form Cirque's prestigious 'troupe maison'. For 9 months they work-shopped in Montreal and created the show "Mystere'. Notary performed in the acclaimed production for four years, as a lead character and acrobat on the teeter board, Chinese poles and trampoline as well as a musician on the Taiko drums. Terry and his wife moved to New York where he was cast in eight different productions at the Metropolitan Opera and worked alongside talents such as Placido Domingo and Luciano Pavarotti. Simultaneously, Notary formed a circus production where he served as the creative director. Terry and his wife moved to Los Angeles when he was requested by Ron Howard to help create the world of Whoville for his upcoming film 'How the Grinch Stole Christmas'. Howard then requested Terry to teach the actors movement and thus Terry's career in the film industry began. Through Terry's seventeen year career, he has become an actor, director, creature performer, animal movement specialist, movement choreographer and stunt coordinator who has worked with the industry's leading directors, including, Ron Howard, James Cameron, Peter Jackson and Steven Spielberg. As a movement choreographer, Notary works extensively with cast to design and develop the signature character that is within a specific actor. Notary has served as movement choreographer and performed in a slate of films on the cutting edge of performance capture. He will next be seen in The Lion King, Avengers: Infinity War and Jungle Book: Origins. In addition to choreographing and appearing in Jungle Book, Notary also served as its 2nd unit director. Other films in which he appears and served as movement choreographer include Avatar, The Hobbit trilogy, The Incredible Hulk, Rise of the Silver Surfer, The Adventures of Tintin, The BFG, Warcraft and Suicide Squad. Notary recently played the iconic character, Kong in Kong: Skull Island and also previously portrayed the alpha chimp Rocket in Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, and the upcoming War for the Planet of the Apes where he also served as the stunt coordinator and movement choreographer for the ape-playing cast. Terry also enjoys teaching master class movement workshops around the world.Rocket/Bright Eyes (Planet of the Apes)
Goblin/Yazneg (The Hobbit)
Grommash Hellscream (Warcraft)
Banshee (Avatar)
Alpha Creature (The Lost Tribe)
MoCap Performer (Hulk. Tintin, Fantastic 4)- Actor
- Director
- Producer
Douglas Tait was born in Tarzana, California, USA. Douglas is an actor and director, known for Rebel Moon - Part One: A Child of Fire (2023), Angel Baby (2023) and Annabelle Comes Home (2019). Douglas has been married to Isabel Cueva since 8 March 2003.Long Face (Star Trek)
Zorgon (Zathura)
Frost Giant (Thor)
Sleestak (Land of the Lost)
Alan Creature (Grimm)- Actress
- Stunts
- Additional Crew
Debbie Lee Carrington was born on 14 December 1959 in San Jose, California, USA. She was an actress, known for Men in Black (1997), Total Recall (1990) and Bedtime Stories (2008). She died on 23 March 2018 in Pleasanton, California, USA.Ewok (Star Wars)
Duck (Howard the Duck)
Little Bigfoot (Harry and the Hendersons)
Small Gorilla (Mighty Joe Young)
Alien (Men in Black)
Emperor Penguin (Batman)
Creature (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)- Actor
- Additional Crew
- Special Effects
Born in Scotland and having spent time in Malta -- where his father, an officer in the British Royal Navy, was stationed -- John Alexander has made a career out of playing highly specialized and physical character roles in sophisticated adventure films. A favorite of special effects gurus Rick Baker and the late Stan Winston, he is often found buried under extensive make-up or wrapped in complex animatronic suits. Alexander originally found his calling back in his native Scotland, where he studied at the Celtic Ballet School. It was here that he began building his background in movement and acrobatics; experience that would serve him well in the coming years.
Beginning his career as a circus performer while in his teens, Alexander was discovered by a French comedy acrobatic act, The Ghezzies, and was offered a contract. From there he traveled Europe, doing stints on television and in cabaret acts for years, before committing to the theatre full time in London. It was while working at the London Palladium for two years, in Barnum starring Michael Crawford, that his first film work came about through the answering of a blind ad for a project that would become "Greystoke: The Legend Of Tarzan," a role (White Eyes, Primate leader) that required him to wear a complicated gorilla suit for Rick Baker.
More film work followed in such notable roles as both the Cowardly Lion and one of the manic Wheelers in Disney's "Return To Oz" and the gorilla Digit in Warner Bros. "Gorillas In The Mist." In addition to playing several more gorilla roles in such movies as "Baby's Day Out," "Congo," "Mighty Joe Young," "Fierce Creatures" and Tim Burton's "Planet Of The Apes," Alexander has played a variety of diverse roles, including the alien Mikey in "Men In Black," Will Smith's nemesis Jarra in "Men In Black 2," one of the Who's of Whoville in "How The Grinch Stole Christmas," a Country Bear in Disney's "The Country Bears," the Robot in "Zathura" and most recently, the disembodied character of Johann Krauss and the Bethmoora Goblin in "Hellboy II: The Golden Army." He has also acted as Consultant, Choreographer and Puppeteer in many special effects extravaganzas. To date, Alexander has one of the more interesting resumes in Hollywood, boasting such skills as acting, dance, acrobatics, prosthetic and mask work, puppeteering, creature movement, fight arrangement, horse riding and unicycle. He looks forward to adding to that resume at every opportunity.Mighty Joe Young
Men in Black (Mikey)
Ape (Planet of the Apes)
Johann Krauss/Goblin (Hellboy)
Zathura (Robot)
White Eyes (Legend of Tarzan)- Actor
- Additional Crew
- Soundtrack
Kenny Baker was born on 24 August 1934 in Birmingham, England, UK. He was an actor, known for Time Bandits (1981), Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005) and The Elephant Man (1980). He was married to Eileen Baker. He died on 13 August 2016 in Preston, Lancashire, England, UK.R2D2/Ewok (Star Wars)
Goblin (Labyrinth)
Dufflepud (Narnia)- Actor
- Additional Crew
- Special Effects
Paul Kasey was born on 5 August 1973 in Chatham, Kent, England, UK. He is an actor, known for Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016), 1408 (2007) and 28 Days Later (2002).Ello Asty (Star Wars)
(Doctor Who creatures)
Ood
Slitheen
Cyberman
Zygon
Judoon- Actor
- Stunts
- Additional Crew
Felix Silla was born on January 11, 1937 in a small village outside Rome, Lazio, Italy. Silla trained as a circus performer, came to the United States in 1955, and toured with the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Show. His multiple talents -- as a bareback rider, trapeze artist and tumbler -- brought him to Hollywood where he became a stuntman, starting with the Gig Young-Shirley Jones vehicle, A Ticklish Affair (1963).
His best-known roles are the maniacal, miniature "Hitler" who menaces George Segal in The Black Bird (1975) and Cousin Itt on The Addams Family (1964). He had doubled -- often for children -- in such hits as The Towering Inferno (1974), The Hindenburg (1975) and Battlestar Galactica (1978). Between movies, he frequently appears in Las Vegas and Reno nightclubs with his own musical combo, "The Original Harmonica Band".
Silla and wife Sue Silla -- a "little person", like himself -- were married from 1965 until Felix's death on April 16, 2021, and had three children, Bonnie, Michael and Diana.Cousin Itt (Addams Family)
Twiki/Odee-x (Buck Rogers in the 25th Century)
Ewok (Star Wars)
Meathead (Meatballs 2)
Creature (Don't be Afraid of the Dark)
Troll/Goblin (Bewitched)
Child Gorilla (Planet of the Apes)- Additional Crew
- Actress
- Make-Up Department
Ailsa Berk is known for Return to Oz (1985), The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe (1988) and Little Shop of Horrors (1986).Max, Mon Amour
Aslan/Dragon (Narnia)
Elephant (Little Buddha)
Kala (Legend of Tarzan)
Amanaman (Star Wars)
Panda (Fierce Creatures)
Grovelhog (The Storyteller)- Actor
- Stunts
- Producer
Spencer Wilding is a Welsh actor and special creature performer in the UK.
He is known for his interpretation of strong and imposing characters, often using prosthetics and makeup. He has appeared in films and series like Doctor Who, Game of Thrones, the saga Harry Potter, Wrath of the Titans (2012), Guardians of the Galaxy (2014), and Victor Frankenstein (2015).
In 2016, Wilding starred as Darth Vader in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016).Minotaur (Doctor Who)
Guard (Guardians of the Galaxy)
Werewolf/Knight (Harry Potter)
Frankenstein's Monster (Victor Frankenstein)
Vogon (Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy)
Razak (Eragon)- Actress
- Additional Crew
- Stunts
Misty Rosas is a dynamic and incredibly versatile artist. She is best known for her work on, The Mandalorian. She is the Performance Artist for the character, "Kuiil" in Season One (2019) and "Frog Lady" in Season Two (2020). Her performance in Season 2 led to her 2021 Hollywood Critics Association award win for her work on the television series. She is more than a triple threat! This actress, dancer, stunt woman, motion capture artist, suit performer has created characters in blockbuster movies, television series, commercials, and the theater including: The Mandalorian, Seasons 1 & 2, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, Congo, Instinct, The Country Bears, Van Helsing, Boston Legal, Sid The Science Kid, Word Party ...just to name a few! Misty is also a singer, songwriter, and recording artist. Misty released her first full-length album of original songs entitled, "Life, Lessons, Love" in December, 2017. She received an HMMA Award nomination for the incredible music video she created for her song, "Panic Button." The music video went on to be an official selection in film festivals around the country, including The California Women's Film Festival and The New Hope Film Festival. Misty has won 2 Telly Awards for the "Panic Button" music video, including the People's Choice Award. Her song, "Paper House," released in February, 2019, received great reviews from the Indie Nation publication, as well as, Buzz Music L.A., and it earned a spot on Buzz Music's Spotify playlist. At the end of 2019, "Paper House," landed on the Buzz Music Top 10, Best of 2019, Spotify playlist! In 2021 her song, "Tell Me" from the, "Work In Progress" release landed at #1 on Spotify just a week after the EP's release. There is a lot more to come from this dynamic artist, so stay tuned!Sid the Science Kid
Beary Barrington (The Country Bears)
Amy the Gorilla (Congo)
Demon (Room 6)
Scout (Altered)- Actor
- Additional Crew
- Soundtrack
This African American actor attended Penn Hills High School in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He started his junior year at 6' 5" and finished it at 6' 9"! He played basketball throughout his high-school years and won a scholarship. He averaged 18 points a game and 10 rebounds! He played basketball during college, but not when it would interfere with his major at George Washington University in Washington, DC, which was Theatrical Arts. During his college years, he met Jay Fenichel with whom he would later make musical productions. Upon graduation, Fenichel moved to Los Angeles and Hall moved to Venezuela to play basketball.
After a year, Hall lost interest and relocated to Los Angeles, California. Along with Fenichel, the duo put together two night-club acts/musicals. One was a semi-autobiographical two-man musical, "In Five," and the other was a two-man show called "The Worst of Friends," both of which played in night clubs throughout the LA area. They also had a promotional business where they did promotional acts in department stores for new products.
While working on the set of the series 227 (1985), he met his co-star, Alaina Reed-Hall, who played Rose Lee Holloway. They married--both on the set, and in real life. Predator 2 (1990) was released December 1990, and in April 1991, he died of AIDS, which he contracted through a blood transfusion a few months before.Predator
Harry and the Hendersons
Leyor (Star Trek)
Alien (Without Warning)
Gorvil (Mazes and Monsters)
Katahdin (Prophecy)
Charon (Highway to Hell)- Actor
- Additional Crew
- Special Effects
Brian Herring is known for Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi (2017), Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens (2015) and Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008).BB-8 (Star Wars)
Skillard/Fish Vendor (Hellboy)
Ice Warrior (Doctor Who)
Creature (Prometheus)
Vogon Minion (Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy)
28 Weeks Later (Zombie)- Actor
- Additional Crew
- Stunts
Born in Bangor, North Wales and raised in Brighton, on the South coast of England, Ian Whyte was 7'1" tall by the time he was 17 years old. Ian always stood out from the crowd. Tall, slim and athletic, little did he know of his future career in the limelight. Ian discovered basketball in his teens, and quickly caught the attention of national team scouts who saw his physical attributes and determination as valuable assets. He quickly progressed to the junior national team ranks, but uninspired by school at the time, Ian was keen to escape at the earliest possible opportunity. He spent a year at Henry Hudson High School in New Jersey, where he again attracted the attention of basketball scouts, earning sports scholarships to Iona College in New York and Clarion University in Pennsylvania.
Ian returned to England in 1994 to play for the London Towers, a new franchise owned by the music promoter Barry Marshall. Still eager to find himself Ian only stayed a season with the Towers, transferring to their crosstown rivals, The London Leopards, but again, only for one season.
in 1995, Europe freely opened its doors to sportsmen and women from across the continent. Ian played for teams right across Europe. In France, Belgium, Greece and Portugal, where he won the domestic treble; League, cup and playoff championships with F.C. Porto in 1997 and went to the ¼ finals of the European cup.
Ian returned to England soon after to play for the Newcastle Eagles, a place that would become his home until his retirement from the game in 2003. Throughout his career Ian tirelessly distinguished himself, representing his country 80 times.
In 2003 Ian received a phone call that would change the whole course of his life. By his own admission he was keen to retire from basketball on his terms rather than through injury or old age, so he responded to a casting call for the new film Alien Vs Predator. His success in gaining the role is a matter of history, but personally it was a tremendous victory for him to finally find an outlet for his emotional creativity.
Ian was fortunate to work alongside such luminaries as the Oscar winning special effects duo of Alec Gillis and Tom Woodruff Jr as well as Oscar winning VFX supervisor John Bruno. He also met soon to be double Oscar winning makeup effects artist Mark Coulier who encouraged him to get in touch with Nick Dudman, the creature effects supervisor for the Harry Potter franchise. Upon completion of filming on AVP Ian travelled back to England and straight into the world of Harry Potter. Not credited as an actor this time, Ian was hired to help bring to life the character of Madame Maxime played by the sublime Francis De La Tour. Ian worked full time for an entire year on the film, faithfully doubling The character who stood a glorious 8'6" tall.
During this time Ian found himself in great demand, but had to turn down roles on such exciting projects as The Hitchhikers guide to the Galaxy and a worldwide tour with Cirque du Soleil.
Soon after the release of Harry Potter, the AVP sequel went into production. Shot entirely in Vancouver Canada, Ian had to re-audition for the part of the Predator, (in reality an entirely new character) however, through his own personal discipline and foresight he had been preparing for it ever since the release of the first film. Ian was of course successful in giving the directors exactly what they wanted and AVP Requiem was shot in 2006. Ian's dedicated self imposed preparation involved a great deal of martial arts training and Ian based the characteristics of the Warrior loosely on the Chinese martial art known as Ba Gua. The shooting schedule for requiem was extremely intense. Half the time as AVP with twice the action! During production Ian found time to very quickly travel to New Zealand to meet with the visionary director Neil Blomkamp to discuss the role of the Master Chief in his new film based on the Halo video game franchise. The trip from Vancouver to New Zealand took 4 days and Ian spent less than 18 hours in the country, so a meeting quickly turned into an audition, a costume fitting and negotiations with the producers before returning to Vancouver. Sadly, after being in Pre-production for six months the film never went into full production.
The 2009 remake of Clash of the Titans followed soon after. Directed by Louis Leterrier the character of Sheikh Suliman gave Ian a golden opportunity to perform with a glittering ensemble cast once again.
Ian extended his dramatic credentials alongside Steven Tompkinson in the gritty 1970's Northern police drama, Harrigan.
Prometheus followed soon after when multi Oscar winning director Sir Ridley Scott brought to life the enigmatic myth of the space jockey, last seen in the original Alien film.
In 2010 Ian auditioned for the role of "The Mountain" in the upcoming TV smash Game of thrones. Ian was not cast, but was invited to fill the role of "The White Walker" for season one. Thus began a period of great creativity which saw Ian play roles in every season of the multi award winning show. Different prosthetic make ups allowed Ian to deliver multiple characters including the giant "Wun Wun" who featured in the two top rated, (according to IMDb) battle episodes of the franchise in series 5 and 6.
Never one to shy away from the responsibilities of a global franchise, Ian became involved with Star Wars in 2013 after Disney took over film production. Ian would have been an obvious choice to play the Wookie Chewbacca, but did not audition for the part. The casting brief was so specific and despite his experience and skill, Ian's deep dark brown eyes excluded him from the role. However, he went back to his action creature roots, as he was asked to be Peter Mayhew's stunt double as well as to bring to life other creatures of the Star Wars universe, which he subsequently reprised for Rogue One, Solo and most recently the Disney+ series, Andor.
In 2020, Ian had the honour and pleasure of working with the multi award winning director Robert Eggers in his Hamlet inspired, Viking epic The Northman, starring Alexander Skarsgard.
Ian continues to transform himself for screens big and small.Engineer (Prometheus)
Sheikh Suleiman (Clash of the Titans)
Wun Wun (Game of Thrones)
Oozaru (Dragonball)
Predator/Scar (Alien vs Predator)
Crusher Roodown/Bollie Prindel (Star Wars)- Actor
- Stunts
- Additional Crew
In 2004, Kiran was back in New Zealand filming The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005) playing a character called Ginarrbrik.
He also writes poetry; his work has been published in Britain and America.
Kiran is a "Guinness World Record" holder as the "shortest professional stuntman currently working in film" since October 2003.Goblin scribe (The Hobbit)
Teedo/Pru Sweevant/Ewok/GONK droid (Star Wars)
Figure (Doctor Who)
Kira/Jen (Dark Chrystal)
Primate (Greystroke)
Blunder (Legend)
Sena M/Tannik Tropek/Estes Fredo (Space Precinct)
White Rabbit (Alice in Wonderland)- Paul Warren is a British actor and creature performer. He is best known for playing characters wearing heavy prosthetic makeup and/or creature suits, most notably in Star Wars films and the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He has appeared in Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015), Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017), Andor (TV series) (2022), Guardians of the Galaxy (2014), Thor: The Dark World (2013) Captain America: The First Avenger (2011) and The Marvels (2023).
He has also had creature roles in Clash of the Titans, World War Z, Ghost Stories, Willow (TV series) and the goblin horror film Unwelcome, where as well as playing the Redcap Goblin Mr Sniff, he was also the Creature Movement Coach for the Stunt Team.
Although now known for his creature performing work, he began his film career as a body double for Daniel Radcliffe on the film Harry Potter & the Order of the Phoenix and was one of the Skinny Steve Rogers VFX doubles in Marvel's Captain America: The First Avenger.
Occasionally he steps out from behind the prosthetics, for example when he provided mime/movement for Steven Spielberg's Ready Player One and when he was a special action performer on Kingsman: The Secret Service for that stunning stunt scene in the church choreographed by the late great Brad Allan.
In 2007, he was recommended to the legendary Stan Winston Studio as a good choice to portray an emaciated version of the title character in 'The Deaths of Ian Stone'. The horror role required full body prosthetics and CGI head replacement with lead actor Mike Vogel. The invaluable experience Paul gained working with Stan's crew to achieve this tricky effect is what ultimately set him on a path to becoming a creature performer.
His first creature role was in the remake of Clash of the Titans. Working with the Oscar nominated Creatures Inc, he underwent a 5 hour makeup process to transform into a tortured soul that pulls the boatman across the river Styx. To add to the challenge of performing covered in such extreme silicone prosthetics, the scene was filmed in a large outside water tank at Pinewood studios.
In 2010, Paul was chosen by director Joe Johnston to be a visual effect double for skinny Steve Rogers in Captain America: The First Avenger. Working closely with Lola Visual Effects, he helped bring Skinny Steve to life in the pre-production VFX tests and was on set as a visual reference for the recruitment scene. The remainder of body double duties on the film were performed by Leander Deeny.
He has since gone on to be a core creature performer in Guardians of the Galaxy, Thor: The Dark World, The Marvels and World War Z, however he is probably most known for his work with Neal Scanlan's creature department on Star Wars. Paul is credited on Star Wars: The Force Awakens as a 'creature and droid puppeteer' and plays an alien called 'Varmik'. This character is of particular interest to Star Wars fans due to his origin; Varmik is based on 2 classic pieces of production art from George Lucas' first Star Wars film in 1977 - the cantina showdown and early Chewbacca designs by Ralph McQuarrie. The cantina showdown was a particular favourite of J.J Abrams' that he wanted to bring to life on screen.
In Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Paul plays a dowager alien called Gatha Elbaphay. The character created quite a buzz online when it was confirmed by director Rian Johnson that the animatronic space pug it holds was based on Carrie Fisher's very own pet pooch Gary. It was affectionately known on set as Space Gary.
He performed the 4 armed character Doctor Quadpaw (along side Aidan Cook and Matt Lyons) in Star Wars: Andor and was a Troll in the fantasy sequel TV series Willow.Varmik (Star Wars)
Alien (Guardians of the Galaxy)
Marauder (Thor)
Hermes (Wrath of the Titans)
World War Z (Zombie)
Charon (Clash of the Titans)