Bob Eggleton
An American artist who defined the look of modern monster movies and space epics, wielding his brush to win an unprecedented nine Hugo Awards.
Born 1960 (age 66)·American artist·Birthday: September 13·Baby Boomers
Biography
Bob Eggleton painted monsters. His 1990 poster for 'Godzilla' established him as Hollywood's go-to visionary for creature-driven cinema, a career launched when his self-taught style—studied from classic illustrators and monster magazines—aligned with the film industry's need for cinematic grandeur. His brush delivered 'The Sword and the Sorcerer' and countless book covers for speculative fiction, collected in volumes like 'Greetings from Earth.' Eggleton's art does not merely accompany stories; it expands them, offering windows into worlds where dinosaurs stalk skyscrapers and ancient gods stride across alien landscapes. Readers and authors alike prize his ability to make the terrifying breathtaking. Born in 1960, Eggleton remains an American artist whose paintings function as their own narratives, richly textured and grandly cinematic, each frame a complete universe.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Bob was born in 1960, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Bob Was Born
The biggest hits of 1960
#1 Movie
Swiss Family Robinson
Best Picture
The Apartment
#1 TV Show
Gunsmoke
Bob's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1960Born
Kennedy-Nixon debates become first televised presidential debates
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,900Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Theme from A Summer Place" — Percy FaithBest Picture: The Apartment
1965Started school
US sends combat troops to Vietnam
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,600Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" — The Rolling StonesBest Picture: The Sound of Music
1973Became a teenager
US withdraws from Vietnam; Roe v. Wade decided
Gas: $0.39/galHome: $22,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" — Tony Orlando & DawnBest Picture: The Sting
1976Could drive
Apple Computer founded; US bicentennial
Gas: $0.59/galHome: $29,300Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Silly Love Songs" — WingsBest Picture: Rocky
1978Could vote
First test-tube baby born
Gas: $0.63/galHome: $35,300Min wage: $2.65/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Shadow Dancing" — Andy GibbBest Picture: The Deer Hunter
1981Turned 21
MTV launches; first Space Shuttle flight; AIDS identified
Gas: $1.31/galHome: $52,300Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Bette Davis Eyes" — Kim CarnesBest Picture: Chariots of Fire
1990Turned 30
Hubble Space Telescope launched; Germany reunifies
Gas: $1.15/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.80/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Hold On" — Wilson PhillipsBest Picture: Dances with Wolves
2000Turned 40
Y2K passes without incident; contested Bush-Gore election
Gas: $1.51/galHome: $119,600Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Breathe" — Faith HillBest Picture: Gladiator
2010Turned 50
Deepwater Horizon oil spill; iPad launched
Gas: $2.79/galHome: $147,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Tik Tok" — KeshaBest Picture: The King's Speech
2020Turned 60
COVID-19 pandemic shuts down the world
Gas: $2.17/galHome: $248,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Blinding Lights" — The WeekndBest Picture: Nomadland
2026Age 66 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Won the Hugo Award for Best Professional Artist nine times between 1994 and 2010.
- Created the iconic American poster art for the 1998 film 'Godzilla'.
- Received the Chesley Award for Artistic Achievement from the Association of Science Fiction & Fantasy Artists in 1999.
- His art book 'Greetings from Earth' won the Hugo Award for Best Related Book in 2001.
Did You Know?
He is an avid fossil hunter and incorporates paleontology into much of his fantasy art.
He provided creature designs for the TV series 'Babylon 5'.
He was the Official Artist for the 75th World Science Fiction Convention in 2017.
He has a species of prehistoric reptile, an oviraptorosaur, named 'Citipes eggleton' after him.
“I paint the things that thrilled me as a kid: monsters, robots, and planets.”
