Stephen Dane obit

Ghostbusters/Blade Runner prop designer Stephen Dane passes away

 

He was not on the list.

I hadn't seen any posts on this here, other than the passing mention in the GB16 thread.

Stephen Dane, the designer and initial builder of the original Ghostbusters proton packs, ghost traps, and Ectomobile roof racks-- the most replicated pieces from the GB films on this forum-- has passed away. Stephen was also an art director on Blade Runner, so it's easy to say his career had a BIG impact on this forum.

Up until a few years ago, his work on Ghostbusters had gone all but unseen by fans, with exception of a single Ectomobile drawing in the Making Ghostbusters book. Beyond the Marquee produced a fantastic interview video/post with Stephen a few years ago that should be required viewing for anyone replicating Ghostbusters props. Stephen comes across as a genuinely fun, positive guy that's super proud of the legacy of his work.

Your work inspired a generation of fans, Stephen!

Stephen Dane was born on August 3, 1941 in Los Angeles, California, USA. He was an art director and production designer, known for Blade Runner (1982), Ghostbusters (1984) and Spaceballs (1987). He died on April 21, 2016 in Studio City, California, USA.

 

Art Department

Fallen Angels (1993)

Fallen Angels

6.5

TV Series

set designer

1995

6 episodes

 

Stephanie Beacham, Jonathan Brandis, Stacy Haiduk, Ted Raimi, Roy Scheider, Royce D. Applegate, John D'Aquino, and Don Franklin in SeaQuest DSV (1993)

SeaQuest DSV

7.8

Video

set designer

1993

 

Michael Ironside, Jonathan Brandis, and Roy Scheider in SeaQuest 2032 (1993)

SeaQuest 2032

6.7

TV Series

set designer

1993

1 episode

 

Macaulay Culkin, Joe Pesci, and Daniel Stern in Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992)

Home Alone 2: Lost in New York

6.9

set designer

1992

 

Solar Crisis (1990)

Solar Crisis

4.1

assistant art director

1990

 

Fisher Stevens, John Stockwell, Raphael Sbarge, and Danielle von Zerneck in My Science Project (1985)

My Science Project

5.9

assistant art director

1985

 

Gene Wilder and Kelly LeBrock in The Woman in Red (1984)

The Woman in Red

6.0

assistant art director

1984

 

Brainstorm (1983)

Brainstorm

6.4

assistant art director

1983

 

Harrison Ford and Sean Young in Blade Runner (1982)

Blade Runner

8.1

assistant art director

1982

 

The Electric Horseman (1979)

The Electric Horseman

6.5

assistant art director (uncredited)

1979

 

Ron Howard in More American Graffiti (1979)

More American Graffiti

5.4

assistant art director (uncredited)

1979

 

Jack Klugman in Quincy, M.E. (1976)

Quincy, M.E.

7.3

TV Series

assistant art director (uncredited)

1978

1 episode

 

Art Director

Christopher Lloyd in Back to the Future... The Ride (1991)

Back to the Future... The Ride

7.9

Video

Art Director

1991

 

America 3000 (1986)

America 3000

4.2

Art Director

1986

 

Jeff Goldblum, Ellen Barkin, Christopher Lloyd, Peter Weller, and John Lithgow in The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension (1984)

The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension

6.2

Art Director

1984

 

Rick Moranis, Max von Sydow, Paul Dooley, Lynne Griffin, Angus MacInnes, and Dave Thomas in Strange Brew (1983)

Strange Brew

6.6

Art Director (uncredited)

1983

 

Starflight: The Plane That Couldn't Land (1983)

Starflight: The Plane That Couldn't Land

4.9

TV Movie

Art Director

1983

 

Production Designer

Billy Campbell, Dennis Farina, Paul Butler, Steve Ryan, and Bill Smitrovich in Crime Story (1986)

Crime Story

8.3

TV Series

Production Designer

1986

4 episodes

 

Additional Crew

Damon Packard in Reflections of Evil (2002)

Reflections of Evil

6.2

vintage cars provided by

2002

 

Red Dawn (1984)

Red Dawn

6.4

design consultant: Russian helicopters (uncredited)

1984

 

Dan Aykroyd, Bill Murray, and Harold Ramis in Ghostbusters (1984)

Ghostbusters

7.8

hardware consultant (as Steven Dane)

1984

 

Visual Effects

Ben Cross and Nicole Fortier in The Unholy (1988)

The Unholy

5.1

visual effects art director: Apogee (uncredited)

1988

 

Mel Brooks, Bill Pullman, John Candy, Rick Moranis, and Daphne Zuniga in Spaceballs (1987)

Spaceballs

7.1

visual effects art director: Apogee, Inc. (as Steven Dane)

1987

 

Actor

Greer Garson, Lee Aaker, Tim Considine, Dale Hartleben, Donald MacDonald, Robert Ryan, Stuffy Singer, David Stollery, Barry Sullivan, and Peter J. Votrian in Her Twelve Men (1954)

Her Twelve Men

6.3

Older Boy (uncredited)

1954

 

Thanks

Miracle Mile (1988)

Miracle Mile

7.0

thanks

1988

 

Self

Beyond the Marquee (2011)

Beyond the Marquee

4.1

TV Series

Self - Special Guest

2014

1 episode

 

Dangerous Days: Making Blade Runner (2007)

Dangerous Days: Making Blade Runner

8.2

Video

Self

2007

 

Len Riley in Memorial Gathering for Black Writer & Author Len Riley (1998)

Memorial Gathering for Black Writer & Author Len Riley

Video

Self

1998

 

Archive Footage

Jeff Goldblum, Ellen Barkin, Peter Weller, and John Lithgow in The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension (1984)

Buckaroo Banzai Declassified

7.5

Video

Self - Special Effects (archive footage, as Steven Dane)

2002