Greg Jein
Chinese American model designer (1945–2022)
title: "Greg Jein" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1945-births", "2022-deaths", "american-special-effects-people", "miniature-model-makers", "film-people-from-los-angeles", "susan-miller-dorsey-high-school-alumni", "california-state-university,-los-angeles-alumni", "american-people-of-chinese-descent"] description: "Chinese American model designer (1945–2022)" topic_path: "arts" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greg_Jein" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary Chinese American model designer (1945–2022) ::
::data[format=table title="Infobox artist"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | Greg Jein |
| known_for | Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Star Trek |
| birth_place | Los Angeles |
| birth_date | |
| birth_name | Gregory Jein |
| death_place | Los Angeles |
| death_date | |
| :: |
| name = Greg Jein | image = | alt = | caption = | known_for = Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Star Trek | spouse = | awards = | birth_place = Los Angeles | birth_date = | birth_name = Gregory Jein | death_place = Los Angeles | death_date = | alma_mater = Greg Jein (October 31, 1945, in Los Angeles, US – May 22, 2022, in Los Angeles) was a Chinese American model designer who created miniatures for use in the special effects portions of many films and television series, beginning in the 1970s. Jein was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Visual Effects for his work on the films Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) and 1941 (1979), and also nominated for an Outstanding Special Visual Effects Emmy for his work on Angels in America.
Jein was a graduate of Dorsey High School in the Crenshaw district of Los Angeles, and of California State University, Los Angeles.
Biography
One of Jein's first jobs was building models for the sex comedy spoof Flesh Gordon; this was followed by work on a number of television series, commercials and movies including Wonder Woman and The UFO Incident. In 1975 he was contacted by Douglas Trumbull's office and asked to do some work on Steven Spielberg's Close Encounters of the Third Kind.
After working on 1941, Jein was invited by Douglas Trumbull to work on Star Trek: The Motion Picture building planetary models for Spock's spacewalk scene and the interior of the V'Ger craft. Jein continued his association with Star Trek through a number of the movies, building alien weapons for Star Trek V: The Final Frontier, and Starfleet helmets for the assassination scene in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country. In 1986 he and a team at Industrial Light & Magic built the original six-foot model of the designed by Andrew Probert for the pilot of Star Trek: The Next Generation. He would go on to build a number of models for The Next Generation including the Ferengi Marauder starship (also designed by Andrew Probert) during the first season of the show, and the Klingon Vor'cha (designed by Rick Sternbach) for the fourth season.
References
References
- (2023-07-24). "Remembering Gregory Jein, 1945 – 2022".
- "Gregory Jein". California Birth Index.
- (June 29, 2022). "Gregory Jein, 'Star Trek' Model Maker and Two-Time Oscar Nominee, Dies at 76". Hollywood Reporter.
- Mandell, Paul. (February 1979). "The Magical Techniques of Movie & TV". Norman Jacobs/Kerry O'Quinn.
- "1978 - Oscars.org - Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences".
- "Greg Jein - Emmy Awards, Nominations and Wins - Television Academy". Emmys.com.
- . (Jul 10, 2022). "Greg Jein obituary". *Los Angeles Times*.
- Munson, Brad. (August 1980). "Greg Jein - Miniature Giant". Don Shay.
- "1980 - Oscars.org - Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences".
- Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens. (1995). "The Art of Star Trek". Pocket Books.
- Larry Lemecek. (1995). "The Star Trek The Next Generation Companion". Pocket Books.
- "Christie's FERENGI MARAUDER STARSHIP MODEL".
- (1999). "The Star Trek Encyclopedia".
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