Isidoro Raponi, Mechanical Effects Artist on ‘E.T.’ and ‘Alien,’ Dies at 76
variety.comWilson Chapman editorIsidoro Raponi, a mechanical effects artist who worked on blockbuster films such as “Alien” and “E.T.,” died May 27, a representative confirmed to Variety.
He died of congestive heart failure at a rehab facility in Los Angeles. He was 76.Born in Frosinone, Italy in 1945, Raponi got his start working as apprentice for effects creator Carlo Rambaldi, who owned a workshop directly across the street from Raponi’s family bookstore.
Raponi worked on numerous Italian films with Rambaldi before relocating to Los Angeles in 1975 to work with his mentor on the “King Kong” remake.
He would continue to work closely with Rambaldi on numerous films throughout the ’70s and ’80s, including “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” and “Alien.” Raponi was one of the main designers and operators, alongside Rabaldi, of the alien animatronic in 1982’s “E.T.
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