Entertainment

Original E.T. mechanical head from Steven Spielberg’s 1982 film sold at auction

It sold as part of a four-day Hollywood Legends sale by Julien’s Auctions.

Original E.T. mechanical head from Steven Spielberg’s 1982 film sold at auction
Original E.T. mechanical head from Steven Spielberg’s 1982 film sold at auction (Julien's Auctions/PA)
By Ellie Iorizzo, PA Los Angeles Correspondent

The original mechanical head of E.T. from Steven Spielberg’s four-time Academy Award winning film has sold for 635,000 dollars (£500,000) at a memorabilia auction in Los Angeles.

The animatronic from 1982 film E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial was made by late special effects artist Carlo Rambaldi and has a metal frame with a foam latex outer skin – and can activate the pulsation of veins for close-up scenes.

The film, about an alien left behind on Earth – starring Drew Barrymore and Henry Thomas, was nominated for nine Academy Awards, winning four including best visual effects for Rambaldi and his team.

It sold as part of a four-day Hollywood Legends sale by Julien’s Auctions, with the first two days celebrating Robots, Wizards, Heroes & Aliens from blockbuster films from the 1950s to modern classics.

A pair of original wand props used by Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter) and Rupert Grint (Ron Weasley) in Harry Potter And The Order of the Phoenix also sold at the auction – far surpassing their top estimate of 10,000 dollars (£7,900) and 7,000 dollars (£5,500) respectively.

Potter’s wand, which sold for 69,850 dollars (£55,000), was used at Hogwarts to train members of Dumbledore’s Army and during a battle at the Ministry of Magic against the Death Eaters, while Weasley’s wand was used throughout the film and sold for 76,200 dollars (£60,000).

A Batsuit costume worn by Michael Keaton, featuring the yellow and black cast resin bat emblem on the chest, in the comic book film Batman Returns in 1992 also went under the hammer for 63,500 dollars (£50,000).

Meanwhile the Captain America shield prop, used by Chris Evans in the 2011 film Captain America: The First Avenger also sold for 65,000 dollars (£51,000).

Similarly, an original machete prop used by Harrison Ford in the 1984 film Indiana Jones And The Temple Of Doom also sold for the same price.