Italy Celebrates E.T. Designer Carlo Rambaldi's Hollywood Walk of Fame Star

Italy is celebrating a posthumous Hollywood Walk of Fame star, to be unveiled on October 15, in honor of special effects master Carlo Rambaldi, best known for designing the alien character ET in Steven Spielberg's 'E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.' Rambaldi, who died in 2012 at age 86, won three Oscars for his work in […]

Italy is celebrating a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, which will be unveiled posthumously on October 15 in honor of special effects master Carlo Rambaldi, best known for designing the iconic Alien character in Steven Spielberg's "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial."

Rambaldi, who died in 2012 at the age of 86, won three Academy Awards for his work in special effects, for "King Kong" (1976), "Alien" (1979) and "E.T. "The Extraterrestrial" (1983) has won an Oscar. RELATED STORIES Quavo Says Migos Bandmate's Death Has Reduced His 'Friction' With Offset: 'It Doesn't Get Harder'

Before "E.T." Rambaldi previously worked with Steven Spielberg on Close Encounters of the Third Kind. He subsequently worked with David Lynch on the cult classic Dune. A long list of top directors that Rambaldi worked with during his illustrious career include: Federico Fellini, Luchino Visconti, Pier Paolo Pasolini, Marco Ferri, Mario Bava, Dario Argento, Lucio Fulci, John Huston, Ridley Scott and Oliver Stone. Popular in Variety

Rambaldi was born in the village of Vigarano Mainarda, outside the city of Ferrara, in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy, the son of a bicycle mechanic. He graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in Bologna in 1951, and although he aspired to be an artist, he was drawn to the world of cinema when he was asked to create a dragon for a low-budget science fiction film.

"From a small town in the province of Ferrara to Hollywood, the story of Carlo Rambaldi shows how Italy can produce talent that can change the landscape of world cinema," said Lucia Borgonzoni, Italy's deputy minister of culture, who is in charge of the country's film sector.

He added: "His genius was nurtured between the countryside of Ferrara and the Academy of Fine Arts in Bologna, in the culture of hard work and brilliance that Emilia-Romagna has always fostered."

"This star - unveiled on the 100th anniversary of Rambaldi's birth - belongs not only to him, but to the community where his journey began. It reminds us that investing in the places where creativity is born - in schools, academies and training centers - means preparing the Rambaldis of tomorrow."

The Carlo Rambaldi Walk of Fame will be held Thursday morning at 1611 Vine St. in Hollywood, with Cinecittà president Antonio Saccone, several members of the Rambaldi family and the U.A. Actor Matt Winston, son of Stan Winston, the Oscar-winning special effects master who designed the dinosaurs for "Jurassic Park."