McCune, Grant

Grant McCune

Grant Lee McCune was born on March 27, 1943, in Los Angeles, CA.

McCune studied at San Fernando State College (now California State University at Northridge) where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in biology.  He became a lab technician and also spent three years teaching photography at SFSC (CSUN). 
McCune was an amateur model maker and in 1974 he heard that his friend Bill Shourt was working on an upcoming film. McCune came to the set and shortly found himself working on something which put his biology degree to task, creating the shark (Bruce) for Steven Spielberg's Jaws.

McCune died from pancreatic cancer on December 27, 2010, in Hidden Hills, CA, and is survived by his wife Katherine (1982 - 2010), his children Cole and Lily, and a sister, Shelley.

Film Actor
Star Wars~1977 - uncredited Death Star Gunner

Film Animation
Caddyshack~1980 (special animator)

Film Visual Effects
Battle Los Angeles~2011  (Grant McCune Design)
Iron Man 2~2010 (Grant McCune Design)
The Pacific~2010  (Grant McCune Design)
Rambo~2008 (miniature effects supervisor)
Flightplan~2005 (Grant McCune Design)
Serenity~2005 (Grant McCune Design)
Spider-Man 2~2004 (Miniatures - Roosevelt Island tram station in New York City: Grant McCune Design)
The Core~2003 (miniatures/miniature photography: Grant McCune Design)
Ladder 49~2003
X-Men 2~2003 (Grant McCune Design)
Spider-Man~2002 (Grant McCune Design)
Clockstoppers~2002 (Grant McCune Design)
Minority Report~2002
Queen of the Damned~2002
Bedazzled~2000
The Perfect Storm~2000 (Grant McCune Design)
Red Planet~2000 (supervisor)
Thirteen Days~2000 (supervisor miniature models - U-2 spy plane: Grant McCune Design)
Little Nicky~2000 (model build effects: Grant McCune Design)
U-571~2000 (Grant McCune Design)
Blast From The Past~1999
Deep Blue Sea~1999 (Grant McCune Design)
Mystery Men~1999 (miniatures/miniature photography support: Grant McCune Design)
Sphere~1998 (model/miniature supervisor: Grant McCune Design)
U.S. Marshals~1998 (miniatures: Grant McCune Design)
A Smile Like Yours~1997
Dante's Peak~1997 (miniatures - collapsible model of the ramp and freeway: Grant McCune Design)
Daylight~1996 (model/miniature supervisor: Grant McCune Design)
Long Kiss Goodnight, The~1996 (Grant McCune Design)
Executive Decision~1996 (miniature effects)
Mortal Kombat~1995 (additional models/miniatures; Grant McCune Designs)
Batman Forever~1995 (supervisor: Grant McCune Design)
D2: The Mighty Ducks~1994 (miniature effects: Grant McCune Design)
Ri¢hie Ri¢h~1994 (miniature supervisor: Grant McCune Design)
Blankman~1994
Speed~1994 (supervisor: Grant McCune Design: elevator shaft/car)
RoboCop~1993
Demolitions Man~1993
Last Action Hero~1993
The Grand Tour~1992
Batman Returns~1992 (supervisor: Grant McCune Design)
Radio Flyers~1992
Die Hard 2~1990
She-Devil~1989
Child's Play~1989
Ghostbusters II~1989 (model shop: Apogee)
Mac and Me~1988
The Unholy~1988
Big~1988
Die Hard~1988 (Grant McCune Design)
My Stepmother Is An Alien~1988 (model shop supervisor)
Spaceballs~1987 (chief model maker: Apogee, Inc.)
Invaders From Mars~1986
Top Gun~1986
My Science Project~1985
Lifeforce~1985 (miniature supervisor)
Never Say Never Again~1983
Firefox~1982 (chief modeler)
Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back~1980 (designed the film-ready helmet for Boba Fett)
Star Trek: The Motion Picture~1979 (miniature supervisor)
Avalanche Express~1979 (chief model maker; Apogee)
Battlestar Galactica~1978 (chief model maker: miniature/optical effects unit)
Star Wars~1977 (chief model maker: X-Wings, Millennium Falcon, TIE Fighters; refined design of R2-D2)
Jaws~1975 (uncredited technician: Bruce the shark)

Film Special Effects
Thirteen Days~2000 (special effects supervisor)
Executive Decision~1996 (special effects)
Nothing But Trouble~1991 (special visual effects)
My Stepmother Is an Alien~1988 (special effects)
Coming to America~1988 (special visual effects)
Funny Farm~1988 (special visual effects)
Foxfire~1987 (special effects)
Jackals~1986 (special effects)

Film Thanks
The Cellar~1989

TV
The 83rd Annual Academy Awards~2011 - archive footage in the memorial tribute
The 50th Annual Academy Awards~1978 - Himself - Visual Effects Award Winner

TV Special Effects
Starflight: The Plane That Couldn't Land~1988 (miniatures supervisor)
Battlestar Galactica~1978 (chief model maker)

Commercials
El Pollo Loco
Hershey's Cookies
Boost Mobile
Twizzlers
American Express
Aquarius
Arco
Bell Canada
Bud Ice
Bud Light
Coca-Cola
Coco Krispies
Crash Dummies
Diet Pepsi
Paul Mason
Pepsi
Pilsbury
Pollenex
Pop Tarts
Playsafe/Robots
Paramount Logo
Round-Up
7-Eleven
Southwestern Bell
Texaco

Theme Parks
Euro Disneyland - 1/8 scale model buildings for the Circle-Vision film.

Awards, Honors, and Nominations
Academy Awards:
Nom 1980 Best Effects for Star Trek: The Motion Picture (shared)
Rec'd 1978 Best Effects for Star Wars (shared)

Social Media
McCune Designs (even though he has passed on the company he founded is still working)

Miscellany
2015 - The Blockade Runner from Star Wars (1977) was once owned by Grant McCune, in 2015 this model went to auction and was sold for $450,000 (US), the largest amount ever fetched for Star Wars props or memorabilia.

2010 - After McCune's death his wife, Katherine McCune, became the owner and CEO of McCune Masterworks and McCune Design in Van Nuys, CA. In 2015 The San Fernando Valley Business Journal awarded her Business Owner of the Year (Women in Business) by pulling the company out of debt. McCune Masterworks (2014) specializes in limited edition automata gifts, bespoke functional art, custom home furnishings and historical replicas.

2007 - Grant McCune Design was responsible for restoring the Nostromo (ship from Alien) for Stephen Lane's Prop Store.

1992-2010 (his death) - Founder of Grant McCune Design visual effects house in Van Nuys, CA which is responsible (after McCune's death) for:
     Tinker Steampunk: The Telephone Rang~2014
     Cabin in the Woods~2012

1978-1992 - co-founding member (with John Dykstra) of Apogee, Inc/Apogee Productions

1987-1989 - Inventor of rubber band/propeller/flapper powered toy balloons along with co-inventors: Robin Reilly, Robert Shepherd, John Dykstra, and Thomas Valentine. Patent numbers: 4572271/D301347/D306189, respectively.

1974/5 - Designed/created Bruce, the shark from Jaws