ET creator Carlo Rambaldi, dies at 86

London: Renowned special effects artist, Carlo Rambaldi, best known for his pioneering work on ‘ET the Extra Terrestrial’ died on Friday, after a long illness. He was 86.

Rambaldi died in hospital in the city of Lamezia Terme, in Italy’s Calabria region. He worked with many Italian directors including Pier Paolo Pasolini and Dario Argento but got worldwide fame for his work in Hollywood. Apart from Steven Spielberg’s ET, he worked on Ridley Scott’s 1979 film Alien and John Guillermin’s King Kong in 1976. He was honoured with Oscars for all three. Rambaldi was born in Vigarano Mainarda, near Ferrara in northeast Italy, and attended Bologna’s Fine Arts academy. He was introduced to cinema in 1956 when he was asked to create a 16m (52ft) dragon for a low-budget science fiction film. Rambaldi moved to Rome where his work drew the attention of producer Dino De Laurentiis, who brought him to Hollywood to work on ‘King Kong’. Once in the US he mastered the art of mechatronics - a mix of mechanical and electronic engineering used to produce special effects. Italian director Pupi Avati said that he was “a child who loved to play and make his toys”. ANI