John C. Kilkenny

Who is John C. Kilkenny?

John Kilkenny is a President at 20th Century Fox, heading the studio's visual effects department. His division budgets, produces and oversees all the visual effects on feature films made by the studio's production units, 20th Century Fox, Fox 2000 Pictures and Fox Searchlight Pictures.

Most notably, Kilkenny is credited with overseeing the Academy Award-winning effects on Avatar which was written and directed by Academy Award-winning filmmaker James Cameron and earned a record breaking $2.8 billion worldwide at the box office.

Kilkenny oversaw the effects on such recent blockbuster films as Prometheus, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, X-Men: First Class, Mr. Popper's Penguins and Black Swan in which Natalie Portman earned the Academy Award for Best Actress. Kilkenny also oversaw the effects for such loved films as Night at the Museum, Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian and the Alvin and the Chipmunks franchise. Other 20th Century Fox blockbuster films that drew success under Kilkenny's watch include X-Men: The Last Stand, Live Free or Die Hard and Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer,.

Previously, Kilkenny was an associate producer/visual effects producer on I, Robot, which earned an Academy Award nomination for best achievement in visual effects. Before that, he was a freelance visual effects producer on the films Dr. Dolittle 2, Daredevil, Gone in 60 Seconds and Star Trek: Insurrection.