Remembering Drew Struzan

Drew Struzan, a prolific artist and movie poster illustrator who has been enchanting fans of the Star Wars and Indiana Jones franchises since the late 1970s, has sadly passed away.

“When one thinks of iconic movie poster artists, Drew Struzan is the first name that comes to mind,” says Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy. “Drew’s unforgettable artwork has touched so many hearts throughout the years, and I have been thankful to have worked with him on films such as E.T., Back to the Future, Hook, and the Indiana Jones series. His artwork is so imaginative, so beautiful, it elevated the movie-going experience for those films before audiences even stepped foot into a theater. Drew’s work is timeless, and will undoubtedly inspire both artists and film lovers for generations to come.”

“Drew was an artist of the highest order,” says Star Wars creator George Lucas. “His illustrations fully captured the excitement, tone and spirit of each of my films his artwork represented. His creativity, through a single illustrated image, opened up a world full of life in vivid color…even at a glance. I was lucky to have worked with him time and time again.”

To many fans, Struzan’s movie poster legacy – which spans nearly five decades and over 150 films – began with the beloved 1978 re-release poster for Star Wars: A New Hope, which the artist illustrated alongside Charles White III. The poster, which has affectionately become known as the Star Wars “Circus Poster,” showcased Struzan’s bold design sense and early 20th century illustration style – a perfect match for the adventurous, throwback spirit of the first Star Wars film.

The painted illustration of Luke and Leia swinging across the Death Star chasm was Struzan’s, along with the portrayals of Han Solo and Obi-Wan Kenobi in the poster. “I kind of fell into doing movies because of my portrait work, since portraits are considered the hardest things among artists,” Struzan said in 2004. The striking illustration so impressed George Lucas that Struzan became the go-to artist for many Star Wars and Indiana Jones posters to follow, including an early advance for Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, the 1997 Star Wars Special Edition re-releases, the prequel trilogy, the first four Indiana Jones features, and even the iconic magician logo for Lucasfilm’s Industrial Light & Magic. Struzan also illustrated countless book covers for Star Wars and Indiana Jones stories throughout the 1990s.

Struzan’s commercial illustrating career began in the early 1970s with record album covers, a format the artist thoroughly enjoyed with the restraint of having to paint within a 12×12-inch format. Notable works during these early years included covers for the Bee Gees, Black Sabbath, Iron Butterfly, Earth, Wind & Fire, and most notably, Alice Cooper’s Welcome to My Nightmare, which Rolling Stone voted among the top 100 album covers of all time.

It’s Struzan’s movie poster art, however, which has endeared him to countless movie fans for decades. Considered by many to be the gold standard of the trade, Struzan was sought out for some of the most memorable titles of the last 50 years, including the Back to the Future trilogy, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Blade Runner, The Goonies, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, Hook, the Muppet movies, and countless others. The artist’s remarkable ability to capture not only the spirit of a film but also create a stunning, inspiring work of art has made him a beloved figure among both movie and illustration aficionados.

Struzan’s career will be remembered not only for his prolific work across several decades on multiple classic films and franchises, but for offering that first exhilarating glimpse of the adventure, romance, and thrills that await from the storyteller’s imagination.

He will be missed.