Rick Carter (born 1952, Los Angeles, California) is an American production designer and art director. He is best known for his collaborations with directors Steven Spielberg and Robert Zemeckis, particularly on the films Back to the Future Part II, Back to the Future Part III, Jurassic Park, Forrest Gump, The Polar Express, War Horse, and Lincoln. He is also known for his work on James Cameron's Avatar, and for the J. J. Abrams-directed Star Wars films The Force Awakens and The Rise of Skywalker. He is a two-time winner of the Academy Award for Best Production Design for his work on Avatar and Lincoln.
Early life and education Carter's father was publicist, and later, motion picture producer, Dick Carter. His mother, Ruth, was a one-time Life magazine staffer, and later Realtor in Southern California.
Carter's student days at UCSC were spent painting. Participating in a film panel at 2011's "Bridging the Gap" Arts Division event, the former Art major joined then Arts Dean David Yager in revisiting his alma mater and reliving the unique experience of his UCSC days.
Career
Beginnings A conscientious objector to the Vietnam War, he dropped out of the University of California at Berkeley and eventually entered the art department for the first time as an assistant on Hal Ashby’s Bound for Glory (1976) followed by James Bridges’ The China Syndrome (1979).
Film
His first credit as art director was with Ashby again on Second-Hand Hearts (1981), but art-directing The Goonies in 1985 was a pivotal job for the designer, as it led to another key meeting for Carter: with that film's writer and producer Steven Spielberg. The two hit it off and began a close working relationship that endures to the present day.
Filmography Year Title Director Notes1989Three FugitivesFrancis VeberBack to the Future Part IIRobert Zemeckis1990Back to the Future Part III1992Death Becomes Her1993Jurassic ParkSteven SpielbergAlso wrote an unused draft of the film1994Forrest GumpRobert Zemeckis1997The Lost World: Jurassic ParkSteven SpielbergAmistad2000What Lies BeneathRobert ZemeckisWith William James TeegardenCast Away2001A.I. Artificial IntelligenceSteven Spielberg2004The Polar ExpressRobert ZemeckisWith Doug Chiang2005War of the WorldsSteven SpielbergMunich2009AvatarJames CameronWith Robert Stromberg2011Sucker PunchZack SnyderWar HorseSteven Spielberg2012Lincoln2015Star Wars: The Force AwakensJ. J. AbramsWith Darren Gilford2016The BFGSteven SpielbergWith Robert Stromberg2017The Post2019Star Wars: The Rise of SkywalkerJ. J. AbramsWith Kevin Jenkins2022The FablemansSteven Spielberg
Accolades
+ List of awards and nominationsCeremonyCategoryYearFilmResultRef. Academy AwardsBest Production Design1994Forrest Gump 2009Avatar (shared with Robert Stromberg) 2011War Horse 2012 Lincoln 2022 The Fabelmans British Academy Film AwardsBest Production Design2010Avatar (shared with Robert Stromberg) 2012War Horse 2013Lincoln 2016Star Wars: The Force Awakens Critics' Choice Movie AwardsBest Production Design2009Avatar (shared with Kim Sinclair and Robert Stromberg) 2011War Horse 2012Lincoln 2022The Fabelmans Satellite AwardsBest Production Design1997Amistad 2012Lincoln 2022The Fabelmans Saturn AwardsBest Production Design2010Avatar (shared with Robert Stromberg) 2016Star Wars: The Force Awakens 2017The BFG (shared with Robert Stromberg) 2021Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
References
External links