Richard Edlund

Richard Edlund is an American inventor who built his career as a visual effects artist. Born in Fargo, North Dakota and raised in Fergus Falls, Minnesota, he joined the Navy before turning to experimental film, and he trained at USC in the late 1960s. John Dykstra picked him as first cameraman on Star Wars at Industrial Light & Magic, which he helped found, and he shared an Academy Award for that work. George Lucas brought him back for The Empire Strikes Back, where he composited miniatures against a white background and won a second Oscar, and he also worked on Raiders of the Lost Ark and Poltergeist. After Return of the Jedi he started Boss Films, behind Ghostbusters, Die Hard, The Hunt for Red October and Air Force One. He later co-founded DuMonde VFX, and the Academy has also given him the Medal of Commendation, two Scientific and Technical Awards and two Special Achievement Awards.