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A pioneer whose career spans over five decades, Joe Lombardi was considered a master of television and feature film special effects, particularly in the areas of safety and pyrotechnics. Some of his finest film work can be seen in the first two Godfather films, Apocalypse Now, The Man Who Fell to Earth, and Machine Gun Kelly. In television, Lombardi oversaw thousands of episodes of series ranging from Wyatt Earp to The Andy Griffith Show. In 1984, Lombardi received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Film Society and in 1997 received an Award of Commendation from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences for special technical contribution to the motion picture industry. Lombardi died in London at age 74 after a serious sinus infection turned to bronchial pneumonia during a shoot in Budapest for the HBO Pictures production When Trumpets Fade.