Alec Gillis

Alec Gillis
Biographical Information
Nationality	American
IMDb	Alec Gillis
Film Contributions
Role(s)	Creature effects
Worked on	Aliens Alien3 Alien Resurrection Alien vs. Predator Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem The Predator
Appeared in	Alien vs. Predator
Played	Unnamed technician (uncredited)

Alec Gillis is an Academy Award-winning American special effects artist and actor who served as part of the creature effects crew on the 1986 film Aliens, the 1992 film Alien³, the 1997 film Alien Resurrection, the 2004 film Alien vs. Predator, the 2007 film Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem and the 2018 film The Predator. He also appeared in a cameo as an unnamed technician in Alien vs. Predator, although he was not credited for the role.

In 1988, Gillis co-founded Amalgamated Dynamics, Inc. (ADI) with Tom Woodruff, Jr., and the company has since provided creature effects for Alien³, Alien Resurrection, Alien vs. Predator and Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem.

Gillis' work has won an Academy Award for Visual Effects (for Death Becomes Her, although he was not listed on the official nomination) and a BAFTA. For his work on Alien³, he was nominated for an Academy Award for Visual Effects, a BAFTA and a Saturn Award.

Awards and Nominations

Year	Film	Notes
1992	Alien3	Nominated — Academy Award for Best Visual Effects Nominated — BAFTA for Best Special Effects Nominated — Saturn Award for Best Special Effects
1997	Alien Resurrection	Nominated — Saturn Award for Best Special Effects

Filmography

Year	Title	Functioned as		Notes
		Effects Artist	Actor
1985	Cocoon
1986	Invaders from Mars
	Aliens
1987	The Monster Squad			With Tom Woodruff, Jr.
1988	Alien Nation			With Abraham Alvarez, Tom Finnegan, Diana James and Thomas Rosales, Jr.
1989	Leviathan			With Tom Woodruff, Jr.
1990	Tremors			With Tom Woodruff, Jr.
1992	Alien3			Uncredited
	Death Becomes Her			With Paulo Tocha
1993	Demolition Man			With Steve Kahan, Henry Kingi and Jesse Ventura
1994	Wolf
1995	Mortal Kombat			With Brad Martin, Rodney Mitchell and Tom Woodruff, Jr., directed by Paul W. S. Anderson
	Jumanji			With Tom Woodruff, Jr.
1996	Tremors 2 Aftershocks			With Thomas Rosales, Jr.
	Michael			With Tom Woodruff, Jr.
1997	Alien Resurrection			Uncredited
	Starship Troopers			With Michael Papajohn
1999	My Favourite Martian			With David St. James
2000	Hollow Man			With Tom Woodruff, Jr.
	Bedazzled			With Thomas Rosales, Jr. and Tom Woodruff, Jr.
	Cast Away
2001	Evolution			With Steven Gilborn and Tom Woodruff, Jr.
	Bubble Boy			With Danny Trejo
	Tremors 3: Back to Perfection			With Eddie Yansick
2002	John Q
	The Santa Clause 2
2003	Scary Movie 3
	Looney Tunes: Back in Action			With Archie Hahn, Ron Perlman and Tom Woodruff, Jr.
2004	Tremors 4: The Legend Begins			With J. E. Freeman and Eddie Yansick
	Alien vs. Predator			Uncredited as actor
2005	Elektra			With Tom Woodruff, Jr.
2006	Failure to Launch
	The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause
2007	Wild Hogs
	Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem
2009	Super Capers: The Origins of Ed and the Missing Bullion
2010	Hunter Prey
	Skyline
2011	Zookeeper			With Tom Woodruff, Jr.
2012	Astronaut: The Last Push			With Lance Henriksen and Tom Woodruff, Jr.
2013	Grown Ups 2			With Eddie Yansick
	Ender's Game

Documentary Appearances

• The Making of Alien³
• HBO First Look: Alien Resurrection - Behind the Scenes
• The Alien Saga
• The Beast Within: Making Alien Enhancement Pods
• Superior Firepower: Making Aliens
• Wreckage and Rage: Making Alien³
• One Step Beyond: Making Alien Resurrection
• The Making of AVP

Trivia

• Ironically, every time Gillis has been nominated for a major award for his effects work on an Alien film, he has lost out to his own work on another movie — in 1993, his Academy Award, BAFTA and Saturn Award nominations for Alien³ all lost out to his work on Death Becomes Her, while in 1998, his Saturn Award nomination for Alien Resurrection lost out to his work on Starship Troopers.

Gallery

Alec Gillis.

Alec supposedly "rediscovering one of the ALIENS weapons..." at Pinewood Studios while working on Alien³. Note that this weapon does not appear to be from any of the Alien films, however.

Alec in 1985 sculpting the Facehugger for Aliens at Stan's.

Gillis with a model of the Dragon.