R.I.P. Norman Reynolds
Re: R.I.P. Norman Reynolds
Nice obit. I love the part about telling people he made biscuits for a living.
R.I.P. Norman Reynolds
Norman Reynolds, Oscar & Bafta winning UK production designer, dies aged 89
By Mona Tabbara
(Screen Daily) 4/6/2023
Oscar and Bafta-winning UK production designer and art director Norman Reynolds has died aged 89.
Reynolds won an Oscar and Bafta for his work on 1981’s Raiders Of The Lost Ark and an Oscar for 1977’s Star Wars: A New Hope.
He worked as art director on Star Wars: A New Hope and took over from John Barry as production designer for the sequels, after Barry died during the filming of The Empire Strikes Back.
Steven Spielberg, who directed Raiders Of The Lost Ark, previously described Reynolds as the “creative core” of the Star Wars and Indiana Jones franchises, and “utter genius”.
Reynolds’ designs included Yoda’s planet of Dagobah, The Emperor’s throne room and the scene in which Indiana Jones being chased by a giant boulder.
He was born in Willesden in 1934 and later based in Cheltenham. He is remembered as a modest man, and reportedly told people he made biscuits for a living, as opposed to being a central figure in Hollywood production design.
Reynolds also designed sets for films such as Superman, Empire Of The Sun, Alien 3, Return To Oz and the first of the Mission: Impossible franchise. He also worked as second unit director on Alive in 1993 and special effects director for Exorcist III.
In a statement, his family said: “Norman was a cherished husband, father, father-in-law, granddad and great grandad.
“You would not know that behind his unassuming, funny and affable exterior lay an enormously talented production designer who brought so many of the films we all love to life through his iconic set designs.
“He was amazed at the fanbase his work created and how much his work meant to them. But above all, he loved and delighted in his large and growing family.
“He died peacefully with his wife Ann and three daughters by his side.”
By Mona Tabbara
(Screen Daily) 4/6/2023
Oscar and Bafta-winning UK production designer and art director Norman Reynolds has died aged 89.
Reynolds won an Oscar and Bafta for his work on 1981’s Raiders Of The Lost Ark and an Oscar for 1977’s Star Wars: A New Hope.
He worked as art director on Star Wars: A New Hope and took over from John Barry as production designer for the sequels, after Barry died during the filming of The Empire Strikes Back.
Steven Spielberg, who directed Raiders Of The Lost Ark, previously described Reynolds as the “creative core” of the Star Wars and Indiana Jones franchises, and “utter genius”.
Reynolds’ designs included Yoda’s planet of Dagobah, The Emperor’s throne room and the scene in which Indiana Jones being chased by a giant boulder.
He was born in Willesden in 1934 and later based in Cheltenham. He is remembered as a modest man, and reportedly told people he made biscuits for a living, as opposed to being a central figure in Hollywood production design.
Reynolds also designed sets for films such as Superman, Empire Of The Sun, Alien 3, Return To Oz and the first of the Mission: Impossible franchise. He also worked as second unit director on Alive in 1993 and special effects director for Exorcist III.
In a statement, his family said: “Norman was a cherished husband, father, father-in-law, granddad and great grandad.
“You would not know that behind his unassuming, funny and affable exterior lay an enormously talented production designer who brought so many of the films we all love to life through his iconic set designs.
“He was amazed at the fanbase his work created and how much his work meant to them. But above all, he loved and delighted in his large and growing family.
“He died peacefully with his wife Ann and three daughters by his side.”