I've introduced you to my grandfather, Andrew Mac MacDonald, a pioneer motion picture pioneer who worked at MGM from 1924 unil 1968. He and special effects artist Arnold Gillespie were known to enhance early films with innovative effects never seen before. My grandfather worked on the Silent Film, Ben-Hur and his son, my Mother’s brother and my uncle Bob, won the Academy Award for Special Effects in 1959 for the second Ben-Hur.
I remember holding that golden statue as a young girl and promised myself someday I would follow in my family's Hollywood Legacy and win my own Academy Award. When uncle Bob won a second award for The Longest Day I truly believed I would follow in his footsteps.
🏆 About Robert MacDonald
Born July 16, 1912 in California; died May 12, 1989 in Ventura, California .
A highly regarded special effects artist, active from 1945 to 1986 .
🎥 Academy Awards
He won two Oscars in the category Best Special Effects:
1. **32nd Academy Awards (1960)**
For Ben‑Hur (1959), shared with A. Arnold Gillespie (visual) and Milo B. Lory (audible) .
2. **35th Academy Awards (1963)**
For The Longest Day (1962), shared with Jacques Maumont (audible effects)
He was also nominated once before:
18th Academy Awards (1946) – for They Were Expendable (lost) .
🎬 Selected Filmography Highlights
Aside from his Oscar-winning work, he contributed to numerous major films:
Wizard of Oz (1939)
They Were Expendable (1945)
Ben‑Hur (1959)
The Longest Day (1962)
Superman (1978)
Gremlins (1984)
Enemy Mine (1985)
…and many others .
Why His Work Matters
Ben‑Hur remains legendary for its chariot sequence and sweeping epic visuals—it tied the record with 11 Oscars at the 1960 ceremony .
The Longest Day is celebrated for its vivid World War II portrayal, and MacDonald’s effects were key to bringing that realism to life.
Robert A. MacDonald was a pioneering special effects artist who helped shape the visual spectacle of classic cinema. His Oscar wins on two monumental films—Ben‑Hur and The Longest Day—underline his significant contributions to storytelling through technical craft.
Im proud to have had this legendary man as one of my role model's along with my great uncle William MacDonald and Tom Lyle Williams founder of the Maybelline cosmetics empire. Its been my dream to write their story in my book The Maybelline Story.
