[TV] Gerry Anderson, Creator of Thunderbirds, Dies at 83
Posted by Jeffrey Harris on 12.26.2012
Pioneer of the marionette, action shows...
Deadline reports that Gerry Anderson, creator of the original Thunderbirds seires and other marionette/puppet live action shows, has died today in a nursing home near Oxfordshire, England.
Anderson suffered from Alzheimer's since 2010. His condition had worsened significant recently according to his son Jamie on his website. Anderson was 83 years of age. His show Thunderbirds aired for just two seasons on Britain's ITV after it debuted in 1965. The show then later became in international hit in syndication. Other shows he worked on include: Space: 1999, UFO, The Day After Tomorrow, Captain Scarlet And The Mysterons, and Supercar and Fireball XL5.
Thunderbirds was later adapted into two feature films, Thunderbirds Are Go in 1966, and Thunderbirds 6 in 1967. Anderson was not involved with the 2004 live action feature version of Thunderbirds, but his ex-wife Sylvia Anderson worked as a consultant. His shows also inspired Matt Stone and Trey Parker's hit puppet, R-rated comedy Team America: World Police.
