We’re sorry to report the passing of the legendary, hugely influential film poster artist Drew Struzan, his passing aged 78, after a long illness, announced by his brother, Greg.
“It is with a heavy heart that I must tell you that Drew Struzan has moved on from this world as of yesterday, October 13th,” Greg wrote. “I feel it is important that you all know how many times he expressed to me the joy he felt knowing how much you appreciated his art.”
In a follow up statement, they described him as “a force of nature”
Struzan’s art is some of the most iconic in modern movies, gracing over 150 movie posters to his credit, including all the Star Wars, Back to the Future and Indiana Jones films, Harry Potter, E.T., Big Trouble in Little China, The Goonies and the Muppets.
Star Wars creator George Lucas dubbed him “the only collectible artist since World War Two” and Steven Spielberg called him his “favourite movie artist”.
Tributes have, understandably been legion, Slash Film’s Jeremy Smith describing him as “The Greatest Movie Poster Artist of all Time” and James Hibberd as “iconic” for Hollywood Reporter.
“The artist’s signature style was bold, dramatic and colourful,” notes Hibberd. “He never failed to capture a film’s tone perfectly, often focusing heavily on its characters – layering a sprawling ensemble cast into a single image was a Struzan specialty.”
Born in Oregon City, Oregon on 18th March 1947, Drew’s career as an artist started as a kid who eventually spent a lot of time at Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California, picking up tips on drawing and painting. Along with Ralph McQuarrie, Mark Ryden and others, he is among their many respected alumni.
Working for the design studio Pacific Eye & Ear under the direction of of Ernie Cefalu, his first commercial commissions were record album covers, relishing the creative aspects the 12×12″ size the record packaging afforded him. They included cover artwork for Alice Cooper’s 1975 album Welcome to My Nightmare, which Rolling Stone would go on to vote one of the 100 Classic Album Covers. Other work – earning him between $150 to $250 per album cover, he noted in an interview for TIME magazine in 2008 – included covers for various musical artists, from Tony Orlando and the Beach Boys, to Black Sabbath and Earth, Wind & Fire.
Hollywood then came calling, Struzan asked to co-create the poster art for the re-release of Star Wars – and, moving to airbrush, he deservedly became much in demand, his art gracing the posters for a huge range of films, directors such as Frank Darabont and Guillermo Del Toro asking for him by name, his work still in demand despite a general move away from stunning, evocative art capturing more than one element of a film to photography, a change Drew himself noted with regret.
In addition to his poster work fir Star Wars (from Episode 1 to Episode 7), you’ll recognise his work promoting An American Tail, Back to the Future, Blade Runner, E.T., The Goonies, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, Hook, the Indiana Jones series, The Muppet Movie, Police Academy, Spy Kids, and more.
“Drew Struzan was such an amazingly talented and warm hearted guy,” Spy Kids director Robert Rodriguez relates on Facebook. [Makeup artist] Greg Nicotero told me Drew was selling his originals back in 2011, so I went to Drew’s studio with the intention of buying the Spy Kids art he made back in 2000. Drew was so generous, he refused to have me pay for it, and instead he handed me the originals. (Including a drawing he had made of me in his trademark style!)
“His studio was amazing, and getting to see his process and art space made me decide to buy one of his masterworks. I had him bring out two of my favourites, The Thing and First Blood… they were both truly stunning. Art books cannot even come close to capturing the detail and magic of his original art.
“Since I had worked with Stallone, I went with First Blood, which I feel is one of his very best paintings and portraits. I will cherish the memories of that magical day spent with him and his wonderful wife, so proudly displaying his incredible art and sharing the stories that went with them.”
Despite industry changes, Drew continued to create plenty of art, until he retired at the end of 2015 upon finishing his piece for Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens.
“Drew was an artist of the highest order,” said George Lucas in a statement. “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 colour… even at a glance. I was lucky to have worked with him time and time again.”
“I’m so sorry to hear that Drew Struzan has passed, though it’s been a long struggle for him, and at last he can enjoy peace,” notes book editor Steve Saeffel, who worked with the artist on Titan Books career spanning book, Oeuvre, written by Drew and his wife and author Dylan Struzan.
“A true giant in the history of illustration, Drew fought the fight for legitimate illustration, and gave us some of the most famous images of all time, thrilling millions of fans. Working with him was an honour I would never have imagined. My love goes out to his wife, Dylan, who has done everything to make his life as normal as possible in an impossible situation. Both of them fit into the category of superhero.”
Drew, was entered into the Society of Illustrators Hall of Fame in 2020 (alongside, that year, Thomas Blackshear, Barbara Nessim, Jeffrey Catherine Jones, Jean Henri Gaston Giraud aka Mœbius and Edmund Dulac).
Drew was also a hugely popular presence at many a convention across the United States in recent years and, like Italian poster artist Renato Casaro, who also passed recently, will be very much missed.
Our sympathies to family and friends at this time.
Drew Struzan, 18th March 1947 – 13th October 2025
Head downthetubes for…
Official Site: drewstruzan.com | Facebook | Instagram
Struzan Family Tribute
DREW WAS A FORCE OF NATURE.
Like a whirlwind, He could not be stopped nor tamed nor manipulated.
His power never waned.
The disease, this particular disease, took the wind out of him. He could no longer speak his language out loud. We respected the tenacity, his ability to hold on to the fire within that continued to rage. Daily he tended the flame reviewing the paintings of those he long admired. Van Gogh. Gauguin. Cézanne. The Impressionists who fought diligently against the status quo.
Those who asked the viewer to see things differently. To embrace the illusions of life … all the best parts fractured into meaningful bits of beauty. He looked through rose-colored glasses so he could impart to us a better version of life.
That’s what drew people to him. His kindness. His hope. His love of beautiful things.
It was our honor to nurture that glow.
Please take a moment to reflect on what he brought to you. Life should be full of love and beauty.
– The Struzan Family
Watch…
• Drew: The Man Behind the Poster (AmazonUK Link)
“An intimate look into the mind of an illustration giant… a unique look into the psyche of one of the greatest illustrators of our day” – Steve Saeffel
Featuring interviews with some of the most famous filmmakers and stars in Hollywood history who Drew collaborated with. The one-sheet poster for the film was created by XL Brand Laboratories and photographed by Frank W.Ockenfels
Recommended Reading
The Art of Drew Struzan (Titan Books, 2010)
Featuring over 300 pieces of artwork, including previously unseen poster art for Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets and Hellboy II
Oeuvre by Drew and Dylan Struzan (Titan Books, 2011)
Drew Struzan created some of the most iconic movie posters of the last 30 years, including Raiders of the Lost Ark, Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone and Blade Runner. This sumptuous hardcover edition, with a foreword by George Lucas, features over 250 pieces of artwork, including all of Drew’s most iconic movie images, as well as other highlights from his career, including album, book and comic book covers, stamps, trading cards, promotional artwork and very personal original works. It also features exclusive San Diego Comic-Con poster art produced for The Walking Dead television series (2010) and Cowboys & Aliens (2011), with text by his wife Dylan, providing an intimate look at the man and his legacy. The definitive collection of Struzan’s work, offering an unrivalled slice of both art and cinema history.
All properties and posters ©️ respective companies
- About the Author
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John is the founder of downthetubes, launched in 1998. He is a comics and magazine editor, writer, and Press Officer for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He also runs Crucible Comic Press.
Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine and Overkill for Marvel UK, Babylon 5 Magazine, Star Trek Magazine, and its successor, Star Trek Explorer, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics; and has edited several comic collections and graphic novels, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”, and Hancock: The Lad Himself, by Stephen Walsh and Keith Page.
He’s the writer of comics such as Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs”, with Dave Hailwood.
Categories: Art and Illustration, downthetubes News, Features, Film, Obituaries, Other Worlds, Star Wars
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