David Haydn Watkins, SPFX Supervisor
9.15.49 – 9-23-22

David Haydn Watkins, Special Effects Supervisor, began his fifty year film career when, at fifteen his father who was the nautical rigger at Pinewood Studios arranged an apprenticeship with the god-father of special effects in England, Les Bowie. Beginning with his first on-set job on THE DIRTY DOZEN, David traveled the world, working on such films as GANDHI, ALIEN, ALI, DEATH ON THE NILE, DRAGONSLAYER, RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK, and its two sequels, TEMPLE OF DOOM and THE LAST CRUSADE, the first three STAR WARS, the first two SUPERMANS, EMPIRE OF THE SUN, and CATCH ME IF YOU CAN, and five films for Stanley Kubrick including 2001: A SPACE ODDITY, THE SHINNING, CLOCKWORK ORANGE and FULL METAL JACKET. There were epics like A BRIDGE TO FAR and BATTLE OF BRITAIN, two BONDS, two PINK PANTHERS, and two MONTY PYTHONs, and comedies like SPIES LIKE US and WE’RE NO ANGELS. With over two hundred films on which David, uncredited, day played and stepped in as support, such as THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW, THE LONG GOOD FRIDAY, TAFFIN, WHO FRAMED ROGER RABBIT, FLASH GORDON, BRAZIL, FORREST GUMP, and WHERE EAGLES DARE, he wound up his career here in Los Angeles as Effects Supervisor on the hit series, DEXTER. His creativity and talent with pyro, wire rigging, welding, and myriads of FX gags kept him in demand worldwide.

Married almost thirty years to Script Supervisor Susan Malerstein-Watkins, every one of them was an adventure living, working, and traveling across the globe. Soul mates to the end, covid brought them even closer in the quiet of their beloved garden, where he wished to die.

Gone way too soon, but never, ever forgotten. Stories from his British colleagues, his enormous extended family overseas, and his new found family right here in America, will carry his memory forever.

May he sweetly rest in peace.