Grant Imahara
Grant Imahara | |
|---|---|
| File:233769862 2e67937333.jpg | |
| Born | October 23, 1970 |
| Occupation(s) | MythBusters (build team), Electronics and radio control expert |
Grant Imahara (born October 23, 1970 in Los Angeles, California) is a Japanese American electronics and radio control expert known for his work as a Build Team member on the American television show MythBusters. He is credited in many feature films as a model maker for the visual effects company Industrial Light and Magic (ILM), where he worked for nine years - in particular, he is credited for his work in updating the fleet of aging R2-D2 robots for the Star Wars prequel trilogy and as an official operator for commercials and personal appearances. As an official Artoo Technician, he makes a cameo in the mockumentary R2-D2: Beneath the Dome.
He is known for his appearance on BattleBots, where he designed and competed with his robot, Deadblow. Other famous works include: operating and designing the rhythmic oscillation of the arms of the modern Energizer Bunny fleet, leading Team ILM to victory in an appearance in Junkyard Mega-Wars, as well as authoring Kickin' Bot: An Illustrated Guide to Building Combat Robots (ISBN 0-7645-4113-7), considered to be a definitive reference in robot construction.[1]
Imahara is a graduate of the University of Southern California, with a Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering. For a time, he seriously considered switching majors with the intention of becoming a screenwriter, although he decided to stay on the engineering track after assisting USC School of Cinematic Arts professor and creator of the Lucasfilm THX sound system, Tomlinson Holman. Imahara was hired after graduation as a Licensing Engineer for Lucasfilm's Home THX division, then made the jump to ILM where he was involved with films such as: The Lost World: Jurassic Park, Star Wars: Episode I: The Phantom Menace, Galaxy Quest, AI: Artificial Intelligence, Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones, Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, The Matrix Reloaded and Revolutions, Van Helsing and Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith.
Imahara eventually joined MythBusters, upon the urging of friend and occasional employer Jamie Hyneman and former ILM colleague Linda Wolkovitch (now an Associate Producer on Mythbusters). As the third member of the Build Team, he replaced welder Scottie Chapman.
Imahara was a cast member and a story writer for the short film Architects of Evil created for the 2004 Industrial Light and Magic Backyard Film Contest.[2] He mentors the Richmond High robotics team Biomechs #841 (Richmond Ca.) for the FIRST Robotics Competition lending his expert guidance on how to create the right robot for the right job. [3] Imahara was profiled in the magazine IEEE Spectrum in an issue focusing on engineering dream jobs. The article was titled Grant Imahara: Debunker in The Box (See external links). He is shown in a fire resistant suit on the cover.
Imahara currently resides in Oakland, California. He is dating Karen Zachary, an event planner for Miraglia Catering.