David Barrington Holt obit

David Barrington Holt Dies: Led Jim Henson Company’s First West Coast Creature Shop, Was 79

 

He was not on the list.

David Barrington Holt, who was instrumental in development of the ground-breaking Henson Performance Control System, which allowed a single performer to operate complex, computer-driven puppets, died March 13 from cancer complications.

His credits included George of the Jungle, The Phantom, Dr. Dolittle, and Scooby-Doo, among other productions.

Born in England in June of 1945, he received his BA in Industrial Design with honors from London’s University of the Arts in 1963. Over the next 20 years, he built a reputation as a designer, photographer, modelmaker, and restorer of mechanical antiquities. His clients included the London Science Museum, the Greater London Council, the Institute of Mechanical Engineers, and numerous other businesses and private individuals in England and abroad.

In 1984, he founded Hero Models, which supplied models, miniatures, and hero effects for the TV, film, and commercial industries. One such project including re-creating the fly-past of the spacecraft Giotto and Halley’s comet for the film Children of the Dust.

In 1986, he began a 23-year collaboration with the Jim Henson Company, first in the UK as Deputy Supervisor of the Creature Shop, before moving up to Creative Supervisor.

He made the move to Los Angeles in 1993 to establish and operate the Henson company’s first west-coast Creature Shop for the purpose of producing Disney’s television show Dinosaurs. He had creative oversight of shop operations, including puppetry, animatronics, effects for feature films, television, and commercials,performers; administrative matters, and R&D, with developments in the field of real-time 3D CG animation.

Following his decades with the Henson Company, he spent three years consulting for Walt Disney Imagineering R&D, where he assisted in the technical transfer of innovative animatronic characters into public exhibits.

He spent the remainder of his extensive and varied career working and consulting for companies, including the Chiodo Brothers, Insudung Media, 11:11 Creative, and Reisman Models.

He is survived by his wife and son.

 

Special Effects

Sheira and Loli's Dittydoodle Works (2005)

Sheira and Loli's Dittydoodle Works

TV Series

animatronic costume fabrication

2005

1 episode

 

Brad Garrett, Diedrich Bader, Kaefan Shaw, Toby Huss, Brian La Rosa, Stephen Root, Jody St. Michael, and Tony Sabin Prince in The Country Bears (2002)

The Country Bears

4.2

creative supervisor (as David Barrington Holt)

2002

 

Michael J. Fox in Stuart Little 2 (2002)

Stuart Little 2

5.5

creative supervisor (as David Barrington Holt)

2002

 

Cuba Gooding Jr. in Snow Dogs (2002)

Snow Dogs

5.2

creative supervisor

2002

 

Susan Sarandon, Alec Baldwin, Jon Lovitz, Tobey Maguire, Joe Pantoliano, Michael Clarke Duncan, Sean Hayes, Glenn Ficarra, Danny Mann, and Billy West in Cats & Dogs (2001)

Cats & Dogs

5.2

creative supervisor (as David Barrington Holt)

2001

 

Stephen Baldwin, Mark Addy, Kristen Johnston, and Jane Krakowski in The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas (2000)

The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas

3.7

creative supervisor: Jim Henson's Creature Shop

2000

 

Michael Keaton and Kelly Preston in Jack Frost (1998)

Jack Frost

5.4

creative supervisor

1998

 

Eddie Murphy, Chris Rock, Norm MacDonald, and Reni Santoni in Doctor Dolittle (1998)

Doctor Dolittle

5.4

creative supervisor: Jim Henson's Creature Shop

1998

 

John Cleese, Brendan Fraser, Scooper, Binx, Tookie, Zakery, Emely, and Hopper in George of the Jungle (1997)

George of the Jungle

5.5

creative supervisor: Jim Henson's Creature Shop (as David Barrington Holt)

1997

 

Jennifer Lopez, Jack Nicholson, and Stephen Dorff in Blood and Wine (1996)

Blood and Wine

6.0

creative supervisor: Jim Henson's Creature Shop (as David Barrington Holt)

1996

 

Billy Zane in The Phantom (1996)

The Phantom

5.1

creative supervisor: Jim Henson's Creature Shop

1996

 

The Polar Bear King (1991)

The Polar Bear King

5.9

creative supervisor

1991

 

The Storyteller: Greek Myths (1991)

The Storyteller: Greek Myths

8.1

TV Series

creature shop

1991

1 episode

 

Anjelica Huston, Jasen Fisher, and Mai Zetterling in The Witches (1990)

The Witches

6.8

mechanical designer

1990

 

Youk the Bear in The Bear (1988)

The Bear

7.7

mechanical designer

1988

 

The Storyteller (1987)

The Storyteller

8.8

TV Series

creature designer: Jim Henson's Creature Shop

1988

2 episodes

 

Art Department

Jenny Slate in Marcel the Shell with Shoes On (2021)

Marcel the Shell with Shoes On

7.7

puppet fabricator: insects, stop-motion unit (as David Barrington Holt)

2021

 

Steve Carell and Paul Rudd in Dinner for Schmucks (2010)

Dinner for Schmucks

5.9

model builder (as David Barrington Holt)

2010

 

James Brolin, Dana Carvey, and Harold Gould in The Master of Disguise (2002)

The Master of Disguise

3.3

speciality props (as David Barrington Holt)

2002

 

Additional Crew

Matthew Lillard, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Linda Cardellini, Freddie Prinze Jr., Nicholas Hope, and Neil Fanning in Scooby-Doo (2002)

Scooby-Doo

5.3

creative supervisor and character designer (uncredited)

2002