Frank Van der Veer was a veteran of World War II. After the war he began his career in the 1950s working for the Warner Brothers and 20th Century Fox special effects departments. Then, a few years later, on August 13 1963, he founded Van Der Veer Photo Effects with partner Bill Dorney, after having apprenticed with Bill Abbott from 1950–1957 in the 20th Century Fox studios. In 1977, he won a Special Achievement Academy Award for "King Kong" (1976). This award was shared with Carlo Rambaldi and Glen Robinson. Frank's father, Willard Van der Veer, had also won an Oscar, 47 years before. That was on November 5, 1930, at the 3rd Academy Awards, for Best Cinematography for the film "With Byrd at the South Pole" with Joseph T. Rucker.