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Computer animation pioneer dies in his sleep at age 58.
Animation pioneer and Oscar winner Bill Kovacs died in his sleep last Tuesday of a stroke brought on by a cerebral hemorrhage. Kovacs gave up a career in architecture in 1976, when he became Vice President of Research & Development for Robert Abel and Associates, an early computer animation company. He first came to Hollywood notice when he worked as a senior programmer on the 1982 Disney movie Tron which extensively used computer animation. In 1984, he cofounded Wavefront Technologies, and served as the company's chief technical officer. He, along with Roy Hall, developed the Advanced Visualizer computer graphics system which made professional-quality CG animation available to large and small studios alike. in 1991, Kovacs, along with Richard Childers and Chris Baker, organized the Infinite Illusions exhibit at the Smithsonian Institution. After leaving Wavefront in 1994, he co-founded Instant Effects and worked as a consultant to Electronic Arts and RezN8. He became RezN8's CTO in 2000, a position he held until his death. He and Hall won a special Scientific and Engineering Academy award in 1998 for their contributions to the development of CG, which is now used in most major motion pictures. At the time of his death, he and longtime friend and colleague Ellen Wolff were writing a memoir about the computer animation industry, tentatively titled The Place Where the Magic Was Born. Bill Kovacs is survived by his long-time partner Kathy Salyer, his daughter Savanna Salyer-Kovacs, his son and daughter Paul and Christine Kovacs, his former wife Ruth Kovacs and his stepmother, Stephanie Benedict. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the account of Savanna E. Salyer-Kovacs, c/o Coast Hills Federal Credit Union, P.O. Box 200, Lompoc, CA 93438-0200.
The copyright of the article Bill Kovacs (1948 - 2006) in Animated Films is owned by Dominic von Riedemann. Permission to republish Bill Kovacs (1948 - 2006) in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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