Norman Reynolds (1934–2023), production designer for Star Wars

Norman Reynolds won two Academy Awards and was nominated for four others for his production design work on the Star Wars and Indiana Jones film franchises.

• Died:b7April 2023
• Details of death:b7Died at the age of 89.
• We invite you to share condolencesb7for Norman Reynolds in ourb7Guest Book.c2

Norman Reynoldse28099 legacy

British production designer Norman Reynolds had a long career, including credits on films like e2809cMission: Impossible,e2809d e2809cAlien 3,e2809d and e2809cEmpire of the Sun.e2809d The latter earned him an Academy Award nomination, but he will always be best known for his work on the Star Wars and Indiana Jones film franchises.

Reynolds had his big break on the original 1977 e2809cStar Wars: A New Hope,e2809d for which he served as art director. The work earned him an Academy Award, along with colleagues John Barry, Leslie Dilley, and Roger Christian. His sense for design, creativity, and ability to manage large projects led to him becoming the production designer for 1980e28099s e2809cStar Wars: The Empire Strikes Back,e2809d which earned him another Academy Award nomination, along with Dilley, Harry Lange, Alan Tomkins, and Michael D. Ford. Now-iconic designs such as the carbon freezing chamber where Han Solo was captured, and Yodae28099s home planet of Dagobah, sprang from Reynoldse28099 imagination.c2 c2

George Lucas recommended him to Steven Spielberg, which led to Reynolds working on e2809cRaiders of the Lost Ark.e2809d Among his creations was the giant boulder Indiana Jones runs from in the filme28099s opening sequence, which won him another Oscar as well as a British Academy of Film and Television Award (BAFTA) for his work, along with Dilley and Ford. Reynolds eventually earned another Oscar nomination for a Spielberg film with 1987e28099s e2809cEmpire of the Sun,e2809d and worked on films such as e2809cAlive,e2809d e2809cYoung Sherlock Holmes,e2809d and others.

Notable quote

e2809cSome people e280a6 said they knew (e2809cStar Warse2809d) was going to be a success all along. Most of us had no idea. Most of us e280a6 were just glad to be working.e2809de28094Interview with Steve Knibbs for BBC Inside Out West

Tributes to Norman Reynolds

Full obituary: BBC Newsc2

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