5. Ray's Family And Friends Not Only Encouraged Him, They Worked With Him
Harryhausen's parents, Martha and Frederick, quite possibly have been his biggest fans. His parents not only supported his endeavors by building him a workshop in their garage, but occasionally starred in these films opposite whatever creatures would spring from Rays fertile mind. Rays mother would even create the costumes, while his father would help him build sets for his creations to interact with. Now that's how you do parenting! In fact, alongside them, he had quite the circle of friends and family giving him support throughout his career. His long time idol, Willis O'Brien was the one who encouraged him to take graphic design and sculpture classes to improve his craft, and got him the job working on the Academy Award winning Mighty Joe Young in 1949. His long time friends, Ray Bradbury and Forrest J Ackerman, brilliant in their own right, also worked along side him on occasion.