Marc Regis Hannah
October 13, 1956
Electrical engineer and computer graphics designer
Marc Regis Hannah was born on October 13, 1956, in Chicago, Illinois. He attended the Illinois Institute of Technology, with funding from a scholarship awarded by AT&T’s Bell Laboratories. Hannah received his B.S. degree in electrical engineering in 1977 before going on to Stanford University where he obtained his M.S. degree in 1978 and his Ph.D. degree in 1985.
His special effects are seen in the films Jurassic Park, Terminator 2 and The Abyss. The computer scientist is one of the founders, in 1982, of the software firm Silicon Graphics (now SGI), where the special-effects genius developed 3-D graphics technology that would be used in many Hollywood movies. Donkey Kong fans also owe a debt of gratitude to Hannah. He was instrumental in designing the Nintendo 64 gaming system.