Joe Alves

Biography

Joe Alves (born 21 May 1936, San Leandro, California) is an American film production designer, perhaps best known for his work on three of the Jaws films. He directed Jaws 3-D. Alves has designed three features for Steven Spielberg, firstly for The Sugarland Express. He designed the three mechanical sharks for the movie Jaws (1975) with mechanical effects man Bob Mattey supervising their physical construction in Sun Valley CA. After the sharks were completed, they were trucked to the shooting location, but unfortunately they had not been tested in water causing a series of delays that have become quite legendary over time. He was nominated for the Academy Award and won the BAFTA for Best Art Direction for his work on Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Alves worked on Jaws 2 (1978) in the capacity of both production designer and as second unit director. After John D. Hancock, the initial director of Jaws 2, was sacked, it was suggested that Alves co-direct it with Verna Fields (who edited the original Jaws). Jeannot Szwarc was hired, however, to complete the film. The model of New York he created for John Carpenter's Escape from New York (1981) has been described as "memorably …

Movies & TV Shows

1. Jaws @ 50: The Definitive Inside Story (2025) — Self
2. The Making of 'Jaws' (1995) — Self
3. The Shark Is Still Working (2009) — Self
4. The Making of 'Close Encounters of the Third Kind' (2001) — Self
5. Jaws, a Monstrous Success (2024) — Self - set designer
6. 3D: A Brief History (2004)
7. Sharksploitation (2024) — Self
8. Purgatory: Entering John Carpenter's 'Escape From New York' (2018) — Self
9. Return to 'Escape from New York' (2003) — Himself
10. Not Your Average Joe — Self
11. Viaggio nel cinema in 3D: Una storia vintage (2016)
12. The Farmer and the Shark (2025) — Self

Directed

1. Jaws 3-D (1983) — Director