Robbie Knott obit

Special Effects Guru Robbie Knott Dies

 

He was not on the list.

Special effects guru Robbie Knott, died on June 29 in Portland, Oregon, from complications relating to a scuba diving accident that ended his career in 2006, his son Brian Knott told The Hollywood Reporter.

Robbie Knott, who was 73 years old at the time of his death, was best known for his work in special effects for "The Muppet Movie," "Donnie Darko" and "The Nutty Professor" reboot, according to IMDb.

Growing up near the Paramount lot in Hollywood, California, where his mother was an assistant to legendary costume designer Edith Head, Robbie Knott carved himself a career in film.

One of the first major films in which he worked for was "Repo Man" in 1984, which was followed by a string of other blockbusters including "Dances with Wolves" in 1990, "Dante's Peak" in 1997 and "Stuart Little 2" in 2002, The Hollywood Reporter said.

He also dabbled in television, working on programs such as NBC's "Remington Steele."

A 1979 article appearing in American Cinematographer magazine described him as a "new breed of special effects technician — youngish, with a quiet but vibrant enthusiasm for what he does and, more often than not, operating independently of any major studio affiliation."

Speaking to the publication shortly after wrapping up filming for "The Muppet Movie," Robbie Knott described what it was like building "the world's largest puppet."

He explained that crews "only built the head, collar, arms and hands, but it was a 15-foot head, a little larger than King Kong."

His career came to an abrupt end during a visit to Micronesia in 2006, when he suffered a scuba-diving accident after getting the bends, and became paralyzed from the waist down, The Hollywood Reporter noted.

Special Effects

For Your Consideration (2006)

For Your Consideration

6.3

special effects coordinator: The Effects Group

2006

 

Morgan Thompson in Red Riding Hood (2006)

Red Riding Hood

3.6

special effects coordinator

2006

 

Gina Gershon, Tom Skerritt, James Brolin, Shannen Doherty, Swoosie Kurtz, Randy Quaid, and Robert Wagner in Category 7: The End of the World (2005)

Category 7: The End of the World

4.5

TV Mini Series

special effects coordinator

2005

 

Annette Bening and Ben Kingsley in Mrs. Harris (2005)

Mrs. Harris

5.9

TV Movie

special effects coordinator (uncredited)

2005

 

Michael J. Fox in Stuart Little 2 (2002)

Stuart Little 2

5.5

special effects supervisor (as Robert L. Knott)

2002

 

The Deluge (2002)

The Deluge

6.2

Short

special effects supervisor

2002

 

John Hay in First Light (2002)

First Light

7.5

Short

special effects foreman

2002

 

Life as a House (2001)

Life as a House

7.4

special effects coordinator

2001

 

Drew Barrymore, Patrick Swayze, Mary McDonnell, Noah Wyle, Jake Gyllenhaal, Jena Malone, and Stuart Stone in Donnie Darko (2001)

Donnie Darko

8.0

special effects coordinator

2001

 

Atomic Train (1999)

Atomic Train

4.7

TV Mini Series

special effects coordinator (as Robbie Knot)

1999

2 episodes

 

Mary Stuart Masterson and Jena Malone in The Book of Stars (1999)

The Book of Stars

6.8

special effects coordinator

1999

 

Matthew McConaughey in Edtv (1999)

Edtv

6.1

special effects coordinator

1999

 

Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau in The Odd Couple II (1998)

The Odd Couple II

6.4

special effects coordinator (as Robert L. Knott)

1998

 

Howie Long in Firestorm (1998)

Firestorm

4.8

special effects technician: Los Angeles (as Robert Knott)

1998

 

Pierce Brosnan and Linda Hamilton in Dante's Peak (1997)

Dante's Peak

6.1

special effects foreman: second unit

1997

 

Countdown (1996)

Countdown

3.9

special effects

1996

 

Richard Dean Anderson, Jane Leeves, and Robert Guillaume in Pandora's Clock (1996)

Pandora's Clock

6.1

TV Mini Series

special effects coordinator

1996

2 episodes

 

Eddie Murphy in The Nutty Professor (1996)

The Nutty Professor

5.7

special effects

1996

 

Wil Horneff in Born to Be Wild (1995)

Born to Be Wild

5.2

special effects coordinator

1995

 

Whoopi Goldberg, Macaulay Culkin, Christopher Lloyd, Leonard Nimoy, Patrick Stewart, Jim Cummings, Phil Hartman, and Frank Welker in The Pagemaster (1994)

The Pagemaster

6.2

special effects coordinator: live action

1994

 

Cabin Boy (1994)

Cabin Boy

5.3

special effects coordinator (as Robert Knott)

1994

 

Lolita Davidovich and John Lithgow in Raising Cain (1992)

Raising Cain

6.1

special effects coordinator

1992

 

William Forsythe, Edward James Olmos, and Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa in American Me (1992)

American Me

7.1

special effects coordinator

1992

 

Voyager (1991)

Voyager

6.7

special effects: USA

1991

 

Kevin Costner in Dances with Wolves (1990)

Dances with Wolves

8.0

chief special effects

1990

 

Kevin Costner in Field of Dreams (1989)

Field of Dreams

7.5

special effects

1989

 

Jeff Daniels in Checking Out (1988)

Checking Out

4.8

special effects coordinator

1988

 

Miracle Mile (1988)

Miracle Mile

7.0

special effects coordinator

1988

 

Journey to the Center of the Earth (1988)

Journey to the Center of the Earth

2.6

special effects coordinator

1988

 

Walt Disney in The Magical World of Disney (1954)

The Magical World of Disney

8.3

TV Series

special effects

1987–1988

2 episodes

 

In the Mood (1987)

In the Mood

6.0

special effects

1987

 

Circle of Violence: A Family Drama (1986)

Circle of Violence: A Family Drama

6.0

TV Movie

special effects

1986

 

Pierce Brosnan and Stephanie Zimbalist in Remington Steele (1982)

Remington Steele

7.3

TV Series

special effects

1983–1984

16 episodes

 

Emilio Estevez, Olivia Barash, and Harry Dean Stanton in Repo Man (1984)

Repo Man

6.8

special effects (as Robby Knott)

1984

 

Ultra Flesh

5.3

special effects (as Robbi Knott)

1980

 

Orson Welles, Steve Martin, Mel Brooks, James Coburn, Frank Oz, Milton Berle, Dom DeLuise, Elliott Gould, Jim Henson, Bob Hope, Madeline Kahn, Carol Kane, Cloris Leachman, Richard Pryor, Telly Savalas, Edgar Bergen, and Paul Williams in The Muppet Movie (1979)

The Muppet Movie

7.6

special effects

1979

 

The Dark (1979)

The Dark

4.2

special effects (as Robby Knott)

1979

 

The Triangle Factory Fire Scandal (1979)

The Triangle Factory Fire Scandal

6.9

TV Movie

special effects

1979

 

Night Cries (1978)

Night Cries

6.1

TV Movie

special effects (as Robby Knott)

1978

 

Halloween with the New Addams Family (1977)

Halloween with the New Addams Family

5.6

TV Movie

special effects coordinator

1977

 

Stunts

Leslie Nielsen and Nicollette Sheridan in Spy Hard (1996)

Spy Hard

5.3

stunts

1996

 

Additional Crew

Morgan Thompson in Red Riding Hood (2006)

Red Riding Hood

3.6

key effects coordinator

2006

 

Self

Jake Gyllenhaal in Donnie Darko (2001)

'Donnie Darko': Production Diary

7.1

Video

Self

2004