Multiple Oscar-winning production designer Norman Reynolds, has died at the age of 89.
Reynolds made important creative contributions to all three movies in the original “Star Wars” trilogy, serving as art director on ‘A New Hope’ and production designer on both “The Empire Strikes Back” and “Return of the Jedi”.
Reynolds worked closely with ‘A New Hope’ production designer John Barry to establish the core design philosophy behind the “Star Wars” world. Along with art director Leslie Dilley and set decorator Roger Christian, they won the Academy Award for art direction in 1978.
Barry then passed away during the making of “The Empire Strikes Back” with Reynolds taking over as overall production designer for the rest of the film and “Return of the Jedi”. After, Reynolds went on to his first collaboration with Steven Spielberg with “Raiders of the Lost Ark”.
Reynolds sculpted the golden idol for the film’s opening scene along with creating the giant boulder Indy runs from. His work alongside art director Dilley and set decorator Michael Ford led to another Oscar for art direction.
He later re-teamed with Spielberg as production designer on “Empire of the Sun” for which he also scored an Oscar nomination. He was a go-to production designer for Barry Levinson on films like “Sphere,” “Avalon” and “Young Sherlock Holmes”.
As an art director, he worked on Richard Donner’s two “Superman” films, “The Incredible Sarah,” “The Little Prince” and “The Old Curiosity Shop”. As a second unit director, he worked on Frank Marshall’s “Alive” (also serving as a production designer in that case) and William Peter Blatty’s “The Exorcist III.”
As production designer, his efforts include Brian de Palma’s “Mission: Impossible,” David Fincher’s “Alien 3,” Walter Murch’s “Return to Oz,” Frank Marshall’s “Alive,” Bab Rafelson’s “Mountains of the Moon,” Mick Jackson’s “Clean Slate,” and Chris Columbus’ “Bicentennial Man”.
Source: THR
