Born in Los Angeles in 1920, Ray Harryhausen discovered King Kong at the age of 13 and found his calling lifelong calling. He went into special effects under the wing of his mentor and creator of King Kong, Willis O’ Brian. His association with producer Charles H. Schneer enabled him to realise his many projects and to develop his own brand of stop motion animation. Many of his films are masterpieces of fantastic cinema and have inspired directors such as Steve Spielberg.