| John Schoonraad | |
| Birth Date: | 2 October 1952 |
| Birth Place: | Harrow, Middlesex, UK |
| Occupation: | Life-cast special effects artist |
| Years Active: | 1981–present |
John Schoonraad (born 2 October 1952) is a life-cast and special effects artist and has created more than 2000 lifecasts.[1]
Schoonraad’s debut came in 1981 with Green Ice starring Ryan O’Neil. Followed by Return of the Jedi, Indiana Jones, Gladiator, Saving Private Ryan and Troy, involving work with Russell Crowe, Tom Hanks, and Orlando Bloom among others. In 2001, he worked on the film Black Hawk Down as a prosthetics supervisor.He also made a life cast of Kristin Scott Thomas for The English Patient and endless casts for The Clash of The Titans and Casino Royale when he supervised the cutting in half of a Boeing 727.[1]
Schoonraad was part of the Oscar-winning creature crew for The Wolfman with Rick Baker and Dave Elsey.The 2011 Oscar was awarded for "Best Make-up".[2] [3]
Schoonraad is known for his life-like creations such as creating a fake head for The English Patient, or more spectacular life casts in the sci-fi and fantasy genres that include films like Star Wars Return of the Jedi to 28 Days Later.[4] [5] He is currently the creative director of his own company called Lifecast Ltd based at Elstree Studios in Borehamwood.[1] [6]
Schoonraad gained more popularity after Robbie Williams requested his help for "Rock DJ", while Grace Jones asked for her head to be cast in chocolate, courtesy of Thornton’s chocolate factory, for her tenth studio album, Hurricane.[7] Schoonraad also transformed Darkness singer Justin Hawkins into a devil for the video “One Way Ticket To Hell and Back” which won the Australian MTV Video awards for Best Rock Video.[8] His video career lead to work with Björk on her track "The Hunter"[9] plus Paul McCartney, David Bowie and Pete Docherty.
Schoonraad has often worked with his sons Tristan and Robin on various projects. They joined his company as technicians and mold makers.[1] Tristan has showcased his work at notable art ‘car-boot’ sales including Brick Lane, the Big Chill, Mutate Britain “One foot in the Grove”, Tate the Biscuit, and the Urban Art Show in Tokyo. He had his own exhibition of Boy Soldiers in London and has worked with Art Below involved in exhibiting in Parliament Square on the Plinth of Peace. Robin has been a key figure in the molding of many of the creatures for Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire as well as special effects in The Last Samurai.[1] [6] [10]