Born in Vigarano, Italy; educated at the Academy of Fine Arts of Bologna. Interested in the mechanics of movement since childhood, he became an expert in electromechanics and the anatomy of the human skeleton and musculature. Drawing inspiration from the works of Guttuso and Picasso, he received many important acknowledgments for his paintings between 1952 and 1957. He entered Italian cinema in 1963 as a special effects artist for PERSEO L'INVINCIBILE / MEDUSA AGAINST THE SON OF HERCULES. For over 20 years he worked with directors Marco Ferreri, Federico Fellini, Pier Paolo Pasolini, Mario Monicelli and Dario Argento. In 1976, he became involved with the construction of Dino De Laurentiis' KING KONG and started a very successful period of work in America. He moved to the US in 1977 and received several patents for his creature movement mechanisms, including the "extraterrestrial" in CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND, the Alien and E.T. Rambaldi continued to study and integrate physics, anatomy and electomechanics with cybernetics. He also developed digital and computerized 3D animation techniques. Other notable (non-nominated) credits include FRANKENSTEIN '80 (1972), Andy Warhol's FRANKENSTEIN and DRACULA (1973 & 1974), PROFONDO ROSSO / DEEP RED (1975), NIGHTWING (1979), POSSESSION and THE HAND (both 1981), CONAN THE DESTROYER and DUNE (both 1984), SILVER BULLET and CATS EYE (both 1985), KING KONG LIVES (1986), PRIMAL RAGE (1988) and DECOY (1995, also exec. producer). His son, Alex Rambaldi, worked in special effects in the late 1980s and early 1990s.  Special Achievement Award 1976: KING KONG - Visual Effects (w. Glen Robinson & Frank Van Der Veer)  Visual Effects 1979: ALIEN (w. H. R. Giger, Brian Johnson, Nick Allder & Denys Ayling)  Visual Effects 1982: E.T. -- THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL (w. Dennis Muren & Kenneth F. Smith) 2 nominations, 2 Awards, 1 Special Achievement Award