Dick, Spielberg among Science Fiction Hall of Fame inductees

Saturday, March 26, 2005

Seattle, Washington — The Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame announced this week the names of its four inductees for 2005. They include filmmaker Steven Spielberg, author Philip K. Dick, artist Chesley Bonestell and animator Ray Harryhausen.

Scheduled to take place on May 6 in Seattle, this will be the first induction ceremony since the hall of fame moved to Seattle from its previous home in Lawrence, Kansas. Induction into the hall is not based on any single work, according to the hall's press release, but for a lifetime of creative endeavors that "shaped" the science fiction genre.

Inductees come from four categories: film, television and media, literature, art, and a category called "open" which is designed for individuals who do not fit into one of the other categories. 2005 is the first year the hall inducted people for works other than literature.

The class of 2005

Only two of the inductees, Spielberg and Harryhausen, are alive to accept the honor. Dick and Bonestell died in the 1980s.

Chesley Bonestell
His special-effects matte paintings for films Destination Moon and War of the Worlds inspired the creation of the Chesley Award to honor achievement in science fiction and fantasy art.
Philip K. Dick
Prolific author of many science fiction novels, novellas and short stories - many of which have gone on to be Hollywood science fiction blockbuster films. He died in 1982 before the release of the first of the films based on his work, Blade Runner, which was based on his book, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep. His work has been turned into other Hollywood films, such as Total Recall based the short story We Can Remember It For You Wholesale, Screamers story Second Variety, Spielberg's Minority Report based on Dick's short story of the same name, Paycheck based on Dick's short story of the same name, and the upcoming Keanu Reeves film, A Scanner Darkly which also is based on Dick's novel of the same name.
Ray Harryhausen
Honored for his Oscar-winning stop-motion animation techniques using metal armatures and synthetic flesh in such classic science fiction films as Jason and the Argonauts, One Million Years B.C, and Clash of the Titans.
Steven Spielberg
Director of such science fiction film classics as E.T. the Extra Terrestrial, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, and Jurassic Park.

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