John P. Fulton

Born in Nebraska, John P. Fulton moved with his family to California in 1914. His father, adamant that John NOT become involved with the movie industry, insisted that he study electrical engineering; after graduating from high school, he worked as a surveyor, but frequently took time out to watch D. W. Griffith shooting movies. In the early '20s, Fulton broke into the picture business as a $25-a-week assistant cameraman and worked his way up to operator and finally, at the dawn of the talkie era, to cinematographer. He learned the legerdemain of trick photography while working at the Frank William Laboratory, then moved on to Universal, where he headed the studio's effects department. There Fulton and his team contributed to classics like "Frankenstein", director John Ford's "Air Mail" (a favorite of aviator Fulton) and "The Invisible Man". Fulton and his department also furnished the effects for four Invisible Man sequels, three of which garnered Oscar nominations; so did their work on "The Boys from Syracuse". Loaned out to Sam Goldwyn, Fulton worked on the effects for the Danny Kaye fantasy "Wonder Man, " which won him his first Academy Award. Two more Oscar wins ("The Bridges at Toko-Ri" and "The Ten Commandments") followed during Fulton's Paramount years. When Paramount disbanded their effects department, Fulton continued to work, providing effects (and co-writing the original story) for "The Bamboo Saucer" (released in 1968). Contracting a rare infection while working in Spain on "The Battle of Britain", Fulton died in hospital in England.