Norman Reynolds Dies: Oscar-Winning ‘Star Wars’ & ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark’ Production Designer Was 89
deadline.comNorman Reynolds, the two-time Oscar winning production and art designer on various Star Wars and Indiana Jones films who director Steven Spielberg once called the “creative core” of the franchises, has died.
He was 89. LucasFilm LTD has confirmed his death, first reported by the BBC, which said that Reynolds “died peacefully with his wife Ann and three daughters by his side.” Spielberg, who first collaborated with Reynolds on 1981’s Raiders of the Lost Ark, said on a statement, “Norman was always smiling with enthusiasm, and there was nothing he couldn’t make work.
Joyful and friendly and a massive talent.” Among Reynolds’ many contributions to the franchises was his sculpting of the iconic golden idol that Harrison Ford’s Indiana Jones attempts to steal during the opening scene of Raiders of the Lost Ark.
Reynolds based the idol on an Incan fertility sculpture he’d collected during overseas travels. “The legacy of this work spreads from movies and series to video games, immersive entertainment, and theme park experiences,” said LucasFilm LTD (read the entire statement below). “In every detail of Star Wars spatial design is the foundational work accomplished by Reynolds and his colleagues.” A London native, Reynolds received his first Oscar for the production design of 1977’s Star Wars (later retitled Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope), sharing the trophy with John Barry, Leslie Dilley, and Roger Christian (Reynolds served as art director on the film).
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