# Matthew Yuricich
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{{Short description|American special effects artist (1923–2012)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2024}}
{{Infobox person
|birth_date={{Birth date|1923|01|19}}
|birth_place=[Lorain, Ohio](/source/Lorain%2C_Ohio), U.S.
|death_date={{Death date and age|2012|05|28|1923|01|19}}
|death_place=[Los Angeles](/source/Los_Angeles), [California](/source/California), U.S.
}}
'''Matthew J. Yuricich''' (January 19, 1923 – May 28, 2012) was an American [special effects](/source/special_effects) artist.
==Biography==
He was born of [Croatian](/source/Croatian_American) immigrant parentage in [Lorain, Ohio](/source/Lorain%2C_Ohio). His father immigrated to America from his native [Josipdol](/source/Josipdol) in [Gorski Kotar](/source/Gorski_Kotar).[{{cite book |editor1-last=Pavlinić |editor1-first=Vladimir |editor2-last=Toth |editor2-first=Željko |editor3-last=Saganić |editor3-first=Gvido |title=Nova Hrvatska |date=1972 |publisher=Nova Hrvatska |page=17 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nnLvAAAAMAAJ |language=hr |quote=Mato Juričić (Matthew Yuricich) iz Lorain, Ohio. Njegov otac odselio se u Ameriku godine 1920. iz Josipdola u Gorskom Kotaru}}] Yuricich spoke only Croatian when he started grade school.[{{cite news |last=Davison |first=Phil |year=2012 |title=Matt Yuricich: Visual effects artist who won an Oscar for 'Logan's Run' |work=The Independent |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/matt-yuricich-visual-effects-artist-who-won-an-oscar-for-logans-run-7836842.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220512/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/matt-yuricich-visual-effects-artist-who-won-an-oscar-for-logans-run-7836842.html |archive-date=2022-05-12 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live}}][{{cite news |last=Polimac |first=Nenad |authorlink=Nenad Polimac |date=2012-06-18 |title=Odlazak Hrvata oskarovca: Neopjevani junak Matt Yuricich umro je prošli mjesec u domu za hollywoodske umirovljenike u Kaliforniji |language=hr |trans-title=The departure of the Croatian Oscar winner: Unsung hero Matt Yuricich died last month at a home for Hollywood retirees in California |publisher=[Jutarnji list](/source/Jutarnji_list) |url=http://www.jutarnji.hr/matthew-yuricich--odlazak-hrvata-oskarovca-kojeg-nismo-poznavali--/1035631/ |accessdate=2012-06-19}}] After graduating high school in 1941, he joined the U.S. Navy. He served on the escort carrier [USS Nassau](/source/USS_Nassau_(CVE-16)), seeing combat in the Pacific Theater.[Davison 2012]
Before becoming a special effects artist, Yuricich received a bachelor's degree in Fine Arts from [Miami University](/source/Miami_University) in [Oxford, Ohio](/source/Oxford%2C_Ohio) where he also played football and joined [Phi Kappa Tau](/source/Phi_Kappa_Tau) fraternity. He received Miami's 2006 Distinguished Achievement Award for his career achievements and was a charter member of the Phi Kappa Tau Hall of Fame.{{Citation needed|date=June 2012}}
A pre-war friendship with pinup star [Betty Grable](/source/Betty_Grable) allowed Yuricich entry into the movie industry after the war.[Davison 2012] As a [matte artist](/source/Matte_painting), much of his early studio work was uncredited but included work on ''[Forbidden Planet](/source/Forbidden_Planet)'' (1956), ''[North by Northwest](/source/North_by_Northwest)'' and ''[Ben-Hur](/source/Ben-Hur_(1959_film))'' (both 1959). Some of his later credits are ''[Soylent Green](/source/Soylent_Green)'' (1973, special photographic effects), ''[Young Frankenstein](/source/Young_Frankenstein)'' (1974, uncredited), ''[The China Syndrome](/source/The_China_Syndrome), [Star Trek: The Motion Picture](/source/Star_Trek%3A_The_Motion_Picture)'' and ''[1941](/source/1941_(film))'' (all in 1979), ''[Blade Runner](/source/Blade_Runner)'' (1982), ''[Ghostbusters](/source/Ghostbusters)'' and ''[2010](/source/2010_(film))'' (both 1984), ''[Fright Night](/source/Fright_Night)'' (1985), ''[Poltergeist II: The Other Side](/source/Poltergeist_II%3A_The_Other_Side)'', ''[The Boy Who Could Fly](/source/The_Boy_Who_Could_Fly)'' and ''[Solarbabies](/source/Solarbabies)'' (all 1986), ''[Masters of the Universe](/source/Masters_of_the_Universe)'' (1987), ''[Die Hard](/source/Die_Hard)'' (1988), ''[Field of Dreams](/source/Field_of_Dreams)'' (1989), ''[Dances with Wolves](/source/Dances_with_Wolves)'' (1990) and ''[Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man](/source/Harley_Davidson_and_the_Marlboro_Man)'' (1991).
Yuricich won the 1976 [Academy Special Achievement Award](/source/Academy_Special_Achievement_Award) for [visual effects](/source/visual_effects) in the movie ''[Logan's Run](/source/Logan's_Run_(film))''. He was nominated for the best visual effects Oscar for his work on ''[Close Encounters of the Third Kind](/source/Close_Encounters_of_the_Third_Kind)'' in 1977. His brother is [Academy Award](/source/Academy_Awards)-nominated [special effects](/source/special_effects) artist [Richard Yuricich](/source/Richard_Yuricich).[Davison 2012]
==References==
{{reflist}}
==Further reading==
*{{cite book |last=Cotta Vaz |first=Mark |year=2002 |title=The Invisible Art: The Legends of Movie Matte Painting |publisher=Chronicle Books |isbn=978-0811831369}}
==External links==
*{{IMDb name|951046}}
{{Special Achievement Academy Award}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Yuricich, Matthew}}
Category:1923 births
Category:2012 deaths
Category:American people of Croatian descent
Category:Matte painters
Category:Miami RedHawks football players
Category:American special effects people
Category:Special Achievement Academy Award winners
{{US-specialeffects-bio-stub}}
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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Matthew Yuricich](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matthew_Yuricich) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matthew_Yuricich?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.