It is with deep regret that I have to report to you all the passing of another member of the Alien family. The Hollywood Reporter shared the heartbreaking news, confirmed by a close friend, that Roger Dicken has passed away.
Roger Dicken, the Oscar-nominated British special effects artist, sculptor and model maker known for his work on Alien and When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth, has died. He was 84.
Dicken died Feb. 18 at his home in North Wales, Mick Cooper, a friend of more than five decades, told The Hollywood Reporter.
Regarding his impact on Alien, he was most famously attributed to the redesign and creation of the Facehugger and Chestburster after several attempts by H. R. Giger. In a 1992 interview with Monsterzone, Dicken spoke about his experience working on the film.
I got underneath the set with my activated hand-operated alien, and it was this, of course, that ended up appearing revoltingly through his body and pausing momentarily to twitch and breath, etc., before zipping off the table.
Two assistants, holding simple squeeze bubbles fixed to plastic tubes, made the small sacs in the body pulsate, etc. The monster's exit was accomplished by pulling me along under the table, laying on a trolley with my arm holding the puppet, working it through a slot as it knocked off strategically placed utensils in the process of disappearing.
Besides those contributions, Roger Dicken worked on other classics such as 2001: A Space Odyssey, When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth and The Land That Time Forgot, amongst others.
Roger is survived by his wife, Wendy. The thoughts of the Aliens vs. Predator Galaxy staff and community go out to Dicken’s family and friends. Rest in peace, Roger.
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