- He was known as the 'Ant Man of Altadena'. A graduate in zoology and entomology from the University of Arizona, Robert Heggie Crandall was an enthusiastic amateur entomologist from childhood (dubbed 'the Spider Boy' in his home town). In his lifetime, he amassed a vast collection of over half a million (catalogued) insect specimens, housed in 445 drawers. An old Admiral fridge in his home contained parasitic wasps and a tub in his bathroom was home to a Gila monster. A giant toad inhabiting the toilet scared the odd visitor.
The eccentric and single-minded Crandall was also a gifted photographer, an early exponent of close-ups in nature documentary filmmaking, using custom built zoom lenses. He conceived the original idea for Walt Disney's Oscar-winning masterpiece The Living Desert (1953) and served as one of its chief cinematographers. He also did special effects work on one of the better Hollywood creature features, The Monster That Challenged the World (1957) (a giant prehistoric sea snail!).
A tiny bee, 'Perdita Crandalli', is named in his honour.- IMDb Mini Biography By: I.S.Mowis
- Spouse
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content