Robert Stromberg

Robert Stromberg
Stromberg in 2015
Occupation(s)	Special effects artist; Production designer; Film director
Years active	1987–present
Notable work	Avatar ; Alice in Wonderland ; Maleficent
Awards	2 Academy Awards; 5 Emmy Awards
Website	https://www.robertstromberg.com/

Robert Stromberg is an American special effects artist, production designer, filmmaker, and film director. He is best known for his work on Avatar (2009) and Alice in Wonderland (2010), for which he won consecutive Academy Awards, and for directing Disney's Maleficent (2014).

Early life and education

Stromberg grew up in Carlsbad, California. He attended Carlsbad High School in Carlsbad, California. ^[1] As a child he pursued drawing and painting, training under a former Disney illustrator who had moved to his community. ^[2]

Career

His credits include films such as James Cameron's Avatar , Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland , and Sam Raimi's Oz the Great and Powerful . ^[2]

He made his directorial debut with the 2014 Disney film Maleficent , a re-imagining of the iconic Disney villain. ^{[3] [4]}

Matte painting and visual effects

Stromberg began his career as a matte painter and visual effects artist, contributing to series such as Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Voyager . ^[5]

Production design

Stromberg served as production designer on James Cameron's Avatar (2009), which earned him an Academy Award alongside Rick Carter and Kim Sinclair. ^[3] He followed with another Academy Award win for Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland (2010).^{[ citation needed ]}

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Director	Writer	Producer	Editor	Notes
2003	Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World	No	No	No	No	Visual effects team; Oscar nominee
2009	Avatar	No	No	No	No	Production designer; won Academy Award for Best Production Design
2010	Alice in Wonderland	No	No	No	No	Production designer; won Academy Award
2013	Oz the Great and Powerful	No	No	No	No	Production designer
2014	Maleficent	Yes	No	No	No	Directorial debut [6]
2016	The BFG	No	No	No	No	Production designer

Television and streaming

Year	Title	Director	Executive Producer	Notes
1990s	Star Trek: The Next Generation	No	No	Matte painter / visual effects
1995	Star Trek: Voyager	No	No	Visual effects; won Emmy Award
2008	John Adams	No	No	Visual effects; won Primetime Emmy Award
2011–2012	Boardwalk Empire	No	No	Visual effects supervisor; won 2 Primetime Emmy Awards
2015	What Lives Inside	Yes	No	Branded miniseries
2019	Project Blue Book	Yes	Yes	Directed 2 episodes

References

1. by (2009-10-22). "Successful Carlsbad alumni return for Hall of Fame". The Coast News Group. Retrieved 2025-10-04.
2. "Storyteller - Director - Visual Effects Specialist - Matte Painter". Robert Stromberg. Retrieved 2025-10-04.
3. "Director Robert Stromberg Talks MALEFICENT at D23". collider.com. 15 August 2013.
4. White, James. "Director Robert Stromberg Finds More In Maleficent". Empire.
5. Nzpete (2020-06-04). "Matte Shot - a tribute to Golden Era special fx: MATTE PAINTING REVIEW: A Selection of Overlooked Films - Part Ten". Matte Shot - a tribute to Golden Era special fx. Retrieved 2025-10-04.
6. Rothkopf, Joshua. "Maleficent". Time Out Worldwide. Archived from the original on 2024-08-13. Retrieved 2025-07-14.

External links

• Robert Stromberg at IMDb