Danny Lee Biography

Fast Facts

• Was the son of Carl Lee, also a special effects artist who worked on Abbott and Costello comedies
• Began his career on the special effects crew of "Around the World in Eighty Days" in 1956
• During his early career he worked as a freelancer on films like "The Ten Commandments," "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World" and "Mary Poppins․"
• Quote: "You explain special effects this way․ Script writers have no limits on their imaginations․ What we do is make photographable anything they come up with․ All it takes is mechanical ability ․․․ and no acquaintance with the word Impossible․"
• Best known as a special effects artist who worked on "Bonnie and Clyde" and "Bedknobs and Broomsticks․"
• After retiring in 1981, he opened Danny Lee Studios with his wife, Jane, where he was a teacher
• Became the head of special effects for Disney Studios in 1969 and worked on more than 50 Disney films during his career
• Was thought to be the first special effects artist to simulate bullets entering a body using synthetic blood capsules and electric squibs, a method he used for the final scene of "Bonnie and Clyde" in 1934