Drew Struzan, the legendary American artist whose hand-painted movie posters defined the look and feel of generations of cinema-lovers, passed away yesterday at the age of 78. He had been living with Alzheimer’s disease, which over recent years robbed him of the ability to paint and sign his beloved works.
Over his lifetime, Drew Struzan produced over 150 film posters that endure as cultural icons. Among his best-known works are the posters for Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Back to the Future, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Blade Runner, The Shawshank Redemption, and the Harry Potter series. Beyond movie posters, he created album covers, stamps, book and collectible art, and logos, including the original Industrial Light & Magic logo.
Struzan’s technique was distinctive: a blend of sketching, airbrushed acrylic paint, layered with colored pencils, often working at “one-to-one” scale (i.e. the same size as a printed poster), using live models or photographic references, and exercising a dramatic sense of composition and light.
He officially retired from full-time commissioned work in 2008, after finishing the poster for Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, but he occasionally came out of retirement for special projects and re-issues. A 2103 documentary by filmmaker Erik Sharkey titled Drew: The Man Behind the Poster chronicled the famed artist’s career.
Drew Struzan is survived by his wife Dylan and son Christian.
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