Dan DeLeeuw

Biography

Dan DeLeeuw is a visual effects supervisor and second unit director best known for his works on Marvel Cinematic Universe films. DeLeeuw began his career in 1993 at Dream Quest Images and started out as a CGI technical director before becoming a digital effects supervisor on such films as The Mask, Crimson Tide, The Rock, Armageddon, Mighty Joe Young, and Bicentennial Man. In 1996, Dream Quest was purchased by The Walt Disney Company, and in 1999, Dream Quest was subsequently renamed "The Secret Lab.". In 2001, DeLeeuw worked as a co-visual effects supervisor on Reign of Fire alongside fellow DQI and TSL colleague Richard R. Hoover. That same year, Secret Lab closed its doors, and DeLeeuw worked at Rhythm and Hues Studios from 2002 to 2011 on films such as Garfield: The Movie, Serenity, and the first two Night at the Museum films. In 2012, DeLeeuw worked as a second unit visual effects supervisor on Marvel Studios' Iron Man 3, which was released in 2013, and later served as the overall visual effects supervisor on Captain America: The Winter Soldier, released in 2014. In 2015, he received his first Academy Award nomination for his work on the superhero spy thriller alongside Dan Sudick, Russell Earl, and Bryan Grill. In 2015, he collaborated once again with Marvel and the Russo brothers on Captain America: Civil War. Through 2016–2019, DeLeeuw returned to collaborate with Marvel and the Russo's for their third and fourth collaborations on Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. During the first set of reshoots for Endgame, which occurred between early-September 2018 and October 12, 2018, the production split into four units, with the Russo brothers taking one each and the other two being supervised by DeLeeuw and one of the film's editors, Jeffrey Ford, respectively. Endgame marked the first time DeLeeuw served as a second unit director. In 2019, Infinity War was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects with DeLeeuw, production special effects supervisor Daniel Sudick, ILM senior supervisor Russell Earl, and Digital Domain senior supervisor Kelly Port as the nominees, and a year later in 2020, Endgame was nominated in the same category with DeLeeuw, Sudick, Earl, and Weta lead supervisor Matt Aitken as the nominees. Through 2019–2021, DeLeeuw marked his fifth and sixth collaboration with Marvel as a production side supervisor with the first season of the Disney+ series Loki alongside Bradley Parker and as a second unit director on Eternals with Stephane Ceretti as the film's overall supervisor of visual effects.