Gary Rydstrom

Gary Rydstrom is an American filmmaker known for his sound design and for directing animation. Born in Chicago and raised in Elmhurst, Illinois, he studied at the University of Southern California before joining Skywalker Sound in Northern California in 1983, where he worked with his mentor Ben Burtt. Early sound technician work on Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom led to sound design for Spaceballs, Backdraft and Terminator 2: Judgment Day; the last earned him an Academy Award. For Jurassic Park he and his team built dinosaur noises by combining animal calls, and the movie became the first presented in DTS. His later sound credits include Finding Nemo, Titanic, Saving Private Ryan and Minority Report. He directed the Pixar short Lifted, which brought a fourteenth Academy Award nomination, plus Hawaiian Vacation and the animated feature Strange Magic (2015). The Academy has nominated him twenty times and awarded him seven wins.