Jamie Hyneman
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 |
This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (November 2008) (Find sources: Jamie Hyneman – news, books, scholar) |
| James Hyneman | |
 |
|
| Born | September 25, 1956 Marshall, Michigan, United States |
|---|---|
| Occupation | MythBusters co-host, M5 Industries CEO |
| Website http://www.m5industries.com/ |
|
James Earl "Jamie" Hyneman (born September 25, 1956) is an American special effects expert, best known for being the co-host of the television series MythBusters. He is also the initiator of M5 Industries, a special effects workshop where MythBusters is filmed. He is also known among Robot Wars devotees for his robot entry, Blendo, which, for a time, was deemed too dangerous for entry in the competition.
Contents |
[edit] Background
Born in Marshall, Michigan, raised in Columbus, Indiana, Hyneman earned a degree in Russian linguistics from Indiana University[1] A variety of careers fill his resume, including scuba diver, wilderness survival expert, boat captain, linguist, pet shop owner, animal wrangler, machinist, concrete inspector, and chef. He apparently has a mild case of acrophobia (fear of heights), as mentioned in the "Hammer Drop" myth segment. Hyneman identifies strongly with skeptics and atheists.[2]
He has been married to a science teacher at a local high school[3] for twenty years, who Jamie met while he owned a sailboat diving charter business in the Virgin Islands.[4]
[edit] Career
[edit] MythBusters
A distinctive part of his appearance is his dark beret and white shirt, as well as, occasionally, sunglasses. This, along with his walrus-style moustache and deep voice, are occasional subjects for jokes by co-host Adam Savage and other team members. A sign hanging in his workshop reading "Clean Up or Die", visible in several episodes, expresses his desire to keep the shop clean and tidy. He is known for his calm, logical, no-nonsense demeanor, in contrast to Savage's unhinged, and sometimes juvenile behavior. Hyneman is often exasperated by Savage's antics and he sometimes squabbles with him on how to test myths. The two often have completely different ideas for performing experiments and building devices. Hyneman's ideas tend to be more simplified, and he has been heard saying "keep it as simple as possible" and "more grunt, less elegance." This has led to competitions between the two presenters when testing some myths, such as testing the Goldfish Memory myth and Hoverboard myth.
His notable achievements in commercials include the can-spitting soda machine from the 7 Up commercials, and his patented two-wheeled football shoe from Nike Lab commercials.[5]
[edit] Film appearance
The two army-junk sellers in The Darwin Awards are portrayed by Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman. They appear during the story of the rocket-car, which they effectively reproduced in the series's pilot episode.[6]
[edit] CSI cameo appearance
Jamie Hyneman made a cameo appearance along with Adam Savage on CSI: Crime Scene Investigation on the May 1, 2008 episode "The Theory of Everything."
[edit] References
- ^ Zimmerman, Keith & Kent. Mythbusters: The Explosive Truth Behind 30 of the Most Perplexing Urban Legends of All Time, page 27. ISBN 141690929X.
- ^ On December 12, 2006, in an interview on Skepticality, the official podcast of Skeptic Magazine, Hyneman said, "[A]ctually I'm pretty adamant about, you know, the whole God thing and it seems that skeptics are by and large atheists or something approaching that, which I strongly identify with. So it turned out to be a good thing and I have become enthusiastically part of it."
- ^ http://www.discoverychannel.co.uk/web/mythbusters/behind-the-scenes/interview/
- ^ http://www.thesneeze.com/mt-archives/000408.php
- ^ United States Patent 6,458,008 Remote Control Device with Gyroscopic Stabilization and Directional Control, issued to Jamie Hyneman Oct. 1, 2002
- ^ IMDB entry for The Darwin Awards
[edit] External links
- Jamie Hyneman's M5 Industries
- Jamie Hyneman's Patent for Remote control device with gyroscopic stabilization and directional control
- Jamie Hyneman at the Internet Movie Database
- Jamie Hyneman biography from the Discovery Channel
|
|||||||||||
