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Rob Legato
 
Rob Legato
Visual Effects Supervisor
Sony Pictures Imageworks

Academy Award® winner Rob Legato received a Masters Degree in Cinematography from Brooks Institute of Photography in Santa Barbara. Upon graduation Legato went to work for the newly formed H.I.S.K. Productions (Hagmann, Impastato, Stephens & Kerns) as the live action commercial producer for director David Impastato. After a period of three years Mr. Legato joined Robert Abel & Associates where he served as producer, visual effects supervisor and ultimately director of visual effects oriented TV spots. The experience led to serving as a free lance supervisor and director for various commercial companies for several years before turning to television production.

Mr. Legato served as alternating visual effects supervisor for the TV series "The Twilight Zone" during its second season. This series led to the Paramount Studios production of "Star Trek: The Next Generation" where Mr. Legato served as visual effects supervisor, second unit and episode director for a period of five years. Legato then took over as visual effects producer/supervisor for the newly created series "Deep Space Nine" as well as directing one of the episodes of its first season. Both "Star Trek: The Next Generation and Deep Space Nine" earned Legato two Emmy Awards for Visual Effects.

Mr. Legato left "Deep Space Nine" after its first season to join Digital Domain, the visual effects company founded by James Cameron, Stan Winston, Scott Ross, and became the visual effects supervisor, second unit director and effects director of photography for Neil Jordan's "Interview with the Vampire." This first feature led to Ron Howard's "Apollo 13" where Legato served as the film's visual effects supervisor. Mr. Legato earned his first Academy Award® nomination and won the British Academy Award for his effects work in “Apollo 13."

His next feature assignment, James Cameron's “Titanic," spanned the next several years and proved ultimately to be one of the most successful films ever made. Besides earning Mr. Legato his first Academy Award®, the film went on to win a total of 11 Oscars® (including Best Picture and Best Visual Effects) and became the highest grossing movie of all time. Mr. Legato also offered some last minute assistance to Martin Scorsese's production of “Kundun" and Michael Bay's film “Armageddon."

Legato left Digital Domain to join Sony Pictures Imageworks where he served as visual effects supervisor on two Robert Zemeckis films, “What Lies Beneath" and “Cast Away."

Legato was senior visual effects supervisor on “Bad Boys II," which was recently nominated for a VES Award (Visual Effects Society) for Outstanding Supporting Visual Effects in a Motion Picture, and on the international phenomenon “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone," based on the best selling books by J.K. Rowling. He is currently second unit director on Martin Scorsese's “The Aviator," a film about the life of Howard Hughes.