Fort Erie loses a legend, Colin Chilvers dies at 79

One of Fort Erie’s most celebrated and accomplished residents, Colin Chilvers, died Tuesday morning at age 79.

Chilvers was a Hollywood legend who won an Oscar for producing the special effects which wowed audiences in the 70s and 80s on the original ‘Superman’ films. His work transformed Christopher Reeves into the titular Superman, scoring Chilvers the Oscar for Best Special Effects in 1979.

His storied career spanned decades, including work on the two subsequent Superman sequels before he went on to direct segments of Michael Jackson’s iconic ‘Moonwalker’ music video, and through to the modern superhero era where he worked as the special effects coordinator on the first ‘X-Men’ movie.

“He was a highly skilled special effects wizard,” said Ward 1 Councillor George McDermott, who fondly remembered Chilvers for his tireless donation of time and advice to students from the Fort Erie Secondary School (FESS) drama program. “He will be greatly missed, as he was a legend, and a one of a kind trailblazer in the field of movie special effects.”

Outside of Hollywood, he also plied his trade locally, producing dazzling commercials for the Fort Erie Race Track back in the 90s. To honour his work and contributions, the track will be hosting a Colin Chilvers Memorial Race during the 2025 season.

When he wasn’t passing on sage advice to students at FESS, he could be found hitting the greens at Bridgewater Country Club, or just enjoying time with his wife, Colleen, and their cats from his beautiful lakefront home in Crystal Beach.

Never one to let idle hands take hold, in retirement Chilvers became enamored with wood carving and produced an impressive body of work which includes intricate wood sculptures, canes, and trinkets. He spent many years serving as president of the Niagara Woodcarvers Association.

“Everyone who met him instantly got along well with him, he was that kind of guy,” recalled Alain Huard, a fellow member of the Woodcarvers. “He was such a very interesting gentleman, and he would do anything and everything to keep himself busy. He even wrote a book. I have a copy, it’s a great read and you can really learn a lot about him.”

Chilvers’ memoir, ‘Believing a Man Can Fly: Memories of a Life in Special Effects and Film,’ published in 2019, is still available on Amazon.

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