Gerry Anderson, the British creator of the popular science fiction TV show "Thunderbirds," died at the age of 83 on Wednesday (December 25) after suffering from Alzheimer's.<br/> <br />The puppet master started his television career in the 1950s and had since created a string of hit shows including "Captain Scarlet" and "Stingray."<br/> <br />After making their British TV debut in 1965, the marionette puppets of "Thunderbirds" became a sensation that won international audiences with high-tech tales of adventurers rocketing around the world, and even into space, to fight evil-doers.<br/> <br />After its cult status was bolstered by years of running in syndication, "Thunderbirds" was remade as a U.S. live-action film in 2004. In the same year, it also inspired the film "Team America: World Police."<br/> <br />Anderson's iconic visual style and use of "Supermarionation" and scale modeling were seen as technical landmarks in TV and film production.
