John Nelson (visual effects artist)

John Nelson (born July 21, 1953) is an American visual effects supervisor. He has won two Academy Awards for Best Visual Effects, for his work on the film Gladiator (2000)[1] and Blade Runner 2049 (2017).[2] He has also been nominated for I, Robot (2004)[3] and Iron Man (2008).[4]

After graduating with high distinction from the University of Michigan in 1976, he worked as a cameraman, technical director and a director at the pioneering computer animation and commercial production company Robert Abel and Associates, where he won two Clio awards and earned six additional Clio nominations. Early in his career while at ILM, Nelson modeled, animated, lit and composited several shots for Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991), including the iconic scene in which the shotgunned head of the chrome terminator splits open and reseals.[5]