Gregory Jein obit

Gregory Jein, ‘Star Trek’ Model Maker and Two-Time Oscar Nominee, Dies at 76

He worked with effects pioneer Douglas Trumbull, and his credits included 'Close Encounters of the Third Kind,' 'The Dark Knight Rises,' 'Avatar' and 'Mulan.'

 He was not on the list.

Gregory Jein, the acclaimed model maker and artist who worked on eight Star Trek properties and earned Oscar nominations for Steven Spielberg‘s Close Encounters of the Third Kind and 1941, has died. He was 76.

Jein died May 22 in his Los Angeles home of cardiac arrest after a long history of health issues that included a battle with diabetes, a family spokeswoman told The Hollywood Reporter. His family elected to keep his death quiet until this week, she added.

According to the website Memory Alpha, Jein began his association with Star Trek in 1977 by designing a Klingon battle cruiser for Star Trek: Phase II, which would have been the first live-action spinoff of NBC’s original Star Trek had it gone forward.

He collaborated with visual effects maestro Douglas Trumbull on Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979), then followed with Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989), Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991), Star Trek: Insurrection (1998) and Star Trek X: Nemesis (2002) and the Star Trek shows The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine and Voyager.

Much of his work was done through his company, Gregory Jein Inc., which he launched in 1979.

He shared Emmy nominations for the 1996 Deep Space Nine episode “Trials and Tribble-ations” and for the 2003 HBO miniseries Angels in America and received eight excellence in production design noms from the Art Directors Guild, the most recent for his contributions as a model maker to the live-action Mulan (2020).

The modest Jein shared visual effects Oscar noms with Trumbull, Roy Arbogast and brothers Matthew and Richard Yuricich on Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) and with William A. Fraker and A.D. Flowers on 1941 (1979). He spent about two years on the latter, which he called one of his most rewarding jobs.

His résumé also included Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises (2012) and Interstellar (2014), plus One From the Heart (1981), The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension (1984), The Hunt for Red October (1990), Judge Dredd (1995), The Scorpion King (2002), Fantastic Four (2005), Avatar (2009), Reel Steel (2011), John Carter (2012) and Alice Through the Looking Glass (2016).

He worked for ILM, Boss Film Corp., Walt Disney Imagineering and other production houses.

“We look to have fun and make everything the best we can on any project we work on,” he explained in a 2015 interview for StarTrek.com.

Born in Los Angeles on Oct. 31, 1945, Jein spent most of his life in the Crenshaw district and attended Audubon Junior High, Dorsey High School and Cal State Los Angeles. He was especially fond of telling stories from his childhood of stuffing fortune cookies fresh from the oven at the Famous Hong Kong Noodle Co.

He did special effects for the X-rated Flesh Gordon and John Carpenter’s Dark Star, both released in 1974, then worked on the NBC telefilm The UFO Incident and the Wonder Woman pilot for ABC the next year.

His work with Trumbull began with a three-month assignment at the Future General Corp. His major contribution as chief model maker to Close Encounters was the ethereal Mothership, a virtual city in the sky that rose above Devil’s Tower. (The model is now housed in the Smithsonian’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center.)

On Facebook, longtime Star Trek graphic designer Michael Okuda said he was “deeply saddened” by Jein’s death.

“Greg had a wry sense of humor and was endlessly inventive,” the three-time Emmy nominee wrote. “He always seemed to find a way to provide us with spaceships, even when only a tiny budget was available. He genuinely loved Star Trek and was always generous with his expertise and his experience, giving many top modelers their start in the business. Greg had been ill for some time, but his passing is nevertheless a gut punch.”

Survivors include his cousins Eleanor, Cheryl, Jerry, Vivian, Laura and Janice and their families. A celebration of his life is being planned.

In the StarTrek.com interview, Jein called himself “a collector and an accumulator” of comic books, pulp magazines and movie/TV memorabilia and revealed that he once bought a script from the original Star Trek series before the episode even aired.

“I have a hard time throwing anything away,” he said.

Makeup Department

Bruce Willis in Surrogates (2009)

Surrogates

6.3

mechanical department: KNB EFX Group (as Greg Jein)

2009

 

Art Department

Yifei Liu in Mulan (2020)

Mulan

5.8

model maker

2020

 

Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Anne Hathaway, Sacha Baron Cohen, Matt Lucas, and Mia Wasikowska in Alice Through the Looking Glass (2016)

Alice Through the Looking Glass

6.2

model maker

2016

 

Matthew McConaughey in Interstellar (2014)

Interstellar

8.7

model maker

2014

 

Tom Cruise in Oblivion (2013)

Oblivion

7.0

model maker

2013

 

Morgan Freeman, Gary Oldman, Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Matthew Modine, Anne Hathaway, Marion Cotillard, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt in The Dark Knight Rises (2012)

The Dark Knight Rises

8.4

modelmaker (uncredited)

2012

 

Samantha Morton, Lynn Collins, and Taylor Kitsch in John Carter (2012)

John Carter

6.6

set model builder

2012

 

Jamie Bell and Joe Starr in The Adventures of Tintin (2011)

The Adventures of Tintin

7.3

model maker

2011

 

Johnny Depp in Alice in Wonderland (2010)

Alice in Wonderland

6.4

modelmaker

2010

 

Zoe Saldaña and Sam Worthington in Avatar (2009)

Avatar

7.9

model maker (as Greg Jein)

2009

 

Nathan Fillion and Summer Glau in Serenity (2005)

Serenity

7.8

model maker

2005

 

Jessica Alba, Michael Chiklis, Chris Evans, and Ioan Gruffudd in Fantastic Four (2005)

Fantastic Four

5.7

master model maker

2005

 

F. Murray Abraham in Star Trek: Insurrection (1998)

Star Trek: Insurrection

6.4

model maker

1998

 

Leonard Nimoy, William Shatner, and DeForest Kelley in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991)

Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country

7.2

special props (as Greg Jein)

1991

 

Let's Go (1985)

Let's Go

Short

construction consultant

1985

 

Short Story Showcase: The Fall of the House of Usher

7.1

Short

miniatures (as Greg Jein)

1976

 

Special Effects

Denis Lyons in Adventurados (2015)

Adventurados

6.2

model maker

2015

 

Dark Star (1974)

Dark Star

6.1

special effects (as Greg Jein)

1974

 

Visual Effects

Christopher Walken, Seann William Scott, Rosario Dawson, and Dwayne Johnson in The Rundown (2003)

The Rundown

6.7

miniatures

2003

 

Michael Clarke Duncan, Kelly Hu, Steven Brand, and Dwayne Johnson in The Scorpion King (2002)

The Scorpion King

5.5

miniatures: R!ot

2002

 

Michael Dorn, Jonathan Frakes, Gates McFadden, Marina Sirtis, Brent Spiner, LeVar Burton, and Patrick Stewart in Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987)

Star Trek: The Next Generation

8.7

TV Series

model maker (uncredited)

1987–1994

176 episodes

 

Leonard Nimoy, William Shatner, and DeForest Kelley in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991)

Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country

7.2

model constructor (uncredited)

1991

 

Sean Connery in The Hunt for Red October (1990)

The Hunt for Red October

7.5

model shop supervisor: Boss Film Corporation (as Greg Jein)

1990

 

Leonard Nimoy and William Shatner in Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989)

Star Trek V: The Final Frontier

5.5

model constructor (uncredited)

1989

 

Jessica Tandy and Hume Cronyn in *batteries not included (1987)

*batteries not included

6.6

model construction

1987

 

Let's Go (1985)

Let's Go

Short

model designer

1985

 

D.A.R.Y.L. (1985)

D.A.R.Y.L.

6.3

miniature supervisor: Gregory Jein Inc.

1985

 

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

miniatures construction

1984

 

V: The Final Battle (1984)

V: The Final Battle

7.7

TV Mini Series

model designer: DQI (uncredited)

1984

3 episodes

 

Twilight Zone: The Movie (1983)

Twilight Zone: The Movie

6.5

model builder: titles (uncredited)

1983

 

V (1983)

V

7.8

TV Mini Series

model constructor: DQI (uncredited)

1983

 

Clint Eastwood in Firefox (1982)

Firefox

5.9

model designer (uncredited)

1982

 

Teri Garr in One from the Heart (1981)

One from the Heart

6.5

miniature supervisor (as Greg Jein)

1981

 

Virus (1980)

Virus

6.2

special miniature consultant

1980

 

1941 (1979)

1941

5.8

miniature supervisor

1979

 

Leonard Nimoy, William Shatner, and Persis Khambatta in Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979)

Star Trek: The Motion Picture

6.4

miniatures (as Greg Jein)

1979

 

The Day Time Ended (1979)

The Day Time Ended

3.6

models constructed by (as Greg Jein)

1979

 

Kim Milford in Laserblast (1978)

Laserblast

2.9

spacecraft designer (uncredited)

1978

 

The Space-Watch Murders (1978)

The Space-Watch Murders

5.3

TV Movie

model builder (uncredited)

1978

 

Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)

Close Encounters of the Third Kind

7.6

chief model maker

1977

 

Lynda Carter in The New Original Wonder Woman (1975)

The New Original Wonder Woman

7.2

TV Movie

model builder (uncredited)

1975

 

The UFO Incident (1975)

The UFO Incident

6.5

TV Movie

model builder (uncredited)

1975

 

Flesh Gordon (1974)

Flesh Gordon

4.8

effects technicianspecial miniature constructor (as Greg Jein)

1974

 

Additional Crew

George Takei, James Cawley, and John M. Kelley in Star Trek Phase II (2004)

Star Trek Phase II

6.8

TV Series

technical advisor (as Greg Jein)

2007

1 episode

 

Bob Burns, Glenn Johnson, Kathy Roach Anderson, and Art Laing in The Further Adventures of Major Mars (1976)

The Further Adventures of Major Mars

7.8

Short

production staff (uncredited)

1976

 

Thanks

Jimmy Kimmel in The Oscars (2023)

The Oscars

6.5

TV Special

in memoriam

2023

 

Fantastic Voyage: Lava Lamps & Celluloid - A Tribute to the Visual Effects of Fantastic Voyage (2007)

Fantastic Voyage: Lava Lamps & Celluloid - A Tribute to the Visual Effects of Fantastic Voyage

7.7

Video

special thanks

2007

 

The Making of 'Close Encounters of the Third Kind' (2001)

The Making of 'Close Encounters of the Third Kind'

7.2

Video

special thanks

2001

 

Self

Patrick Stewart in Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987)

Star Trek: The Next Generation - Regeneration: Engaging the Borg

7.5

Short

Self

2013

 

Denise Crosby, Michael Dorn, Jonathan Frakes, Gates McFadden, Marina Sirtis, Brent Spiner, Wil Wheaton, LeVar Burton, and Patrick Stewart in Stardate Revisited: The Origin of Star Trek - The Next Generation (2012)

Stardate Revisited: The Origin of Star Trek - The Next Generation

7.9

Self

2012

 

Sense of Scale (2011)

Sense of Scale

8.5

Self (as Greg Jein)

2011

 

The Making of 'Close Encounters of the Third Kind' (2001)

The Making of 'Close Encounters of the Third Kind'

7.2

Video

Self

2001

 

The Making of '1941' (1996)

The Making of '1941'

6.3

Video

Self

1996

 

Movie Magic (1994)

Movie Magic

8.7

TV Series

Self

1994

1 episode

 

Archive Footage

Inglorious Treksperts (2018)

Inglorious Treksperts

8.4

Podcast Series

Self - miniatures & model maker (archive footage)

2022

1 episode

 

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

Buckaroo Banzai Declassified

7.4

Video

Self - Miniature Maker (archive footage)

2002