Leslie George Bowie was born on 10 November 1913 in Vancouver, Canada.
Before the advent of computer-generated special effects, pioneers in the field managed to create movie magic, despite often restrictive budgets. Les Bowie was one of the best. He began work as a scenic artist at Denham, Pinewood and Shepperton studios in 1946. Bowie made his initial mark by developing a faster technique for creating matte shots in a single day. He was rewarded by being pushed up the ladder to chief matte artist for the Rank Organisation. In 1950, Bowie turned freelance and established his own FX unit in partnership with Vic Margutti and A. Val Elsey. This was later expanded to become Bowie Films Ltd., ultimately Britain’s leading FX unit, with a staff of 75 people at work creating miniatures, mechanical devices, trick photography and matte paintings.
Bowie was best known for his work at Hammer, beginning with The Quatermass Xperiment (1955), for which he created the monster. He worked on many of the best films for the studio, producing innovative re-usable models. He was also responsible for numerous clever trick effects, including the demises of Count Dracula and assorted minions. Bowie did superb matte work on The Brides of Dracula (1960), The Curse of the Werewolf (1961), Captain Clegg (1962), to mention but a few. He also supervised the creation of earth in just six days (on a budget of £1000 pounds) for One Million Years B.C.(1966) and destroyed it in The Day the Earth Caught Fire (1961). Bowie’s ambition to work on an A-grade production was finally fulfilled, when he was tasked with making models, mattes and composites for Superman (1978). Sadly he died just minutes before receiving his Special Achievement Award at the Oscars.
He is credited with the invention of the “glass shot.” This was a method of painting added scenery on a pane of clear glass placed in front of the camera
Les Bowie died from lung cancer, in Gerrard’s Cross, Buckinghamshire on 27 January 1979, he was 65.
Les Bowie’s Hammer Filmography
Year Released | Production | Role | Role |
1953 | Spaceways | Process Shots | No |
1955 | The Quatermass Xperiment | Special Effects | Yes |
1956 | X - The Unknown | Special Effects | No |
1957 | The Curse of Frankenstein | Matte Painter | No |
1957 | Quatermass 2 | Matte Painter | No |
1958 | Dracula | Special Effects | No |
1959 | The Ugly Duckling | Camera Operator | Yes |
1961 | Taste of Fear | Special Effects | No |
1961 | The Curse of the Werewolf | Special Effects | Yes |
1961 | The Shadow of the Cat | Special Effects | Yes |
1962 | Captain Clegg | Special Effects | Yes |
1962 | The Pirates of Blood River | Special Effects | Yes |
1963 | The Damned | Special Effects | No |
1963 | The Scarlet Blade | Special Effects | Yes |
1964 | Paranoiac | Special Effects | Yes |
1964 | Nightmare | Special Effects | No |
1964 | The Evil of Frankenstein | Special Effects | Yes |
1964 | The Devil-Ship Pirates | Special Effects | Yes |
1964 | The Kiss of the Vampire | Special Effects | Yes |
1965 | She | Special Processes | Yes |
1965 | She | Special Effects | No |
1966 | Dracula, Prince of Darkness | Special Effects | Yes |
1966 | The Plague of the Zombies | Special Effects | Yes |
1966 | The Reptile | Special Effects | Yes |
1966 | The Old Dark House | Special Effects | Yes |
1966 | One Million Years B.C. | Prologue Designer | Yes |
1967 | The Mummys Shroud | Special Effects | Yes |
1967 | Frankenstein Created Woman | Special Effects | Yes |
1967 | Quatermass and the Pit | Special Effects | Yes |
1967 | A Challenge for Robin Hood | Special Effects | Yes |
1968 | The Vengeance of She | Special Effects | Yes |
1968 | The Devil Rides Out | Special Effects | No |
1969 | Moon Zero Two | Special Effects | Yes |
1970 | Taste the Blood of Dracula | Matte Painter | No |
1970 | When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth | Matte Artist | No |
1972 | Vampire Circus | Special Effects | Yes |
1972 | Dracula AD 1972 | Special Effects | Yes |
1973 | Holiday on the Buses | Special Effects | Yes |
1974 | The Satanic Rites of Dracula | Special Effects | Yes |
1974 | Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell | Special Effects | No |
1974 | The Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires | Special Effects | Yes |
1976 | To the Devil, A Daughter | Special Effects | Yes |
1977 | Shatter | Special Effects | Yes |