Movie Poster Artist Behind Star Wars & Harry Potter Dies At 78

The legendary movie poster artist behind the most recognizable designs has pᴀssed away at the age of 78.

In a post on Instagram, it was confirmed that Drew Struzan had died yesterday. The caption read:

“It is with a heavy heart that I must tell you that Drew Struzan has moved on from this world as of yesterday, October 13th. I feel it is important that you all know how many times he expressed to me the joy he felt knowing how much you appreciated his art.”

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Born in 1947, Struzan was known for the many classic movie posters, novels, and album covers. He produced over 150 movie posters for franchises including Star Wars, Back to the Future, Indiana Jones, Blade Runner, and Harry Potter. His career spanned decades, and he became well-known for his iconic illustrations. Struzan began his career in the 1970s and even illustrated album covers for Black Sabbath, The Beach Boys, and the Bee Gees.

He rose to fame due to his artwork for Star Wars and had a close working relationship with Lucasfilm. In 1977, he was hired to create a poster for the rerelease of Star Wars and created the legendary “circus” poster design, which became his signature style. His iconic layout influenced many movie posters that were released after.


Star Wars poster by Drew Struzan

In 2008, Struzan retired after his ad campaign for Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. His love of art made him come out of retirement a few times for different projects, including Stephen King’s The Dark Tower in 2012 and in 2019 for the How to Train Your Dragon trilogy.

His work and life were featured in a documentary тιтled Drew: The Man Behind the Poster, which included notable interviews from Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, Harrison Ford, Guillermo del Toro, and Michael J. Fox. The documentary was directed and produced by Erik Sharkey.

Struzan was pᴀssionate about art and his love of movies, and stated, “I’m selling movies, yes. But if I can do it with art, with beauty, in a way that reaches people and touches them…that’s what makes me happy.” Struzan will be remembered by his wife, Drew, and his son, Christian, and all the fans who came to love and appreciate his memorable style.

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