Alex Funke

Alex Funke (born October 12, 1944, in Santa Barbara, California) is an American special effects photographer.

Alex Funke is best known for his work on both of Peter Jackson's Middle-earth film trilogies, The Lord of the Rings (2001–2003) and The Hobbit (2012–2014).

Career He worked with Charles and Ray Eames for eleven years, a period he deemed important to his career success. His first Oscar was a shared win for Total Recall. Funke became noted as an expert on miniatures and was brought to New Zealand for work on The Lord of the Rings film trilogy. At the 75th and 76th Academy Awards, he won Best Visual Effects for his work on The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, respectively. He shared both awards with Jim Rygiel, Joe Letteri, and Randall William Cook.

Selected filmography 1977 – Powers of Ten 1978 – Battlestar Galactica 1979 – Buck Rogers 1981 – Heavy Metal 1988 – The Blob 1989 – The Abyss 1990 – Total Recall - Shared an Academy Special Achievement Award for this. 1991 – Grand Canyon 1992 – Freejack 1992 – The Lawnmower Man 1995 – The Indian in the Cupboard 1995 – Waterworld 1996 – Executive Decision 1996 – The Lawnmower Man 2: Beyond Cyberspace 1997 – Starship Troopers 1998 – Snake Eyes 1998 – Mighty Joe Young 1999 – Mystery Men 2001 – The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring 2002 – The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers 2003 – The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King 2005 – King Kong 2008 – The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian 2015 – Fast & Furious 7 2017 – Blade Runner 2049