March 28, 2024

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Colin Cantwell, designer of Star Wars, Death Star, dies at 90

Colin Cantwell, designer of Star Wars, Death Star, dies at 90

written by Toyin Owoseje, CNN

Colin Cantwell, the visual effects artist behind many of the original spacecraft “star Wars” The movie died at the age of 90.

In an announcement on his Facebook page on Sunday, Cantwell’s partner, Sierra Dale, said he died Saturday at his home in Colorado.

A shot of the Death Star in “Return of the Jedi” (1983) credit: Lucasfilm / Fox / Kopal / Shutterstock

“Colin Cantwell died peacefully in his home and I am by his side. I will miss him deeply,” she wrote.

Tributes poured in from fans and celebrities, including “Curb Your Enthusiasm” director David Mandel, who Show an illustration of early X-Wing From his private Twitter group.

Cantwell is best known for designing and building prototypes of the X-Wing, Star Destroyer, TIE Fighter, Death Star, and other ships for “Star Wars: A New Hope,” the first in the science fiction series.

to me His websiteHe designed the spaceships used in the 1977 movie two years ago, and built the models and photographed them upon completion.

Cantwell’s website also noted that he was UCSD’s first animation graduate, after persuading the university to add an animation major.

scene from "Star Wars Episode IV - A New Hope" (1977)

A scene from “Star Wars Episode IV – A New Hope” (1977) credit: Lucasfilm / Fox / Kopal / Shutterstock

Before Hollywood came into contact, he fulfilled his childhood passion for space by working for NASA and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and creating educational programs about recent developments in space exploration.

While at NASA, he provided CBS News anchor Walter Cronkite with updates on the astronauts’ progress during the 1969 moon landing, which Then Cronkite was transmitted to the television audience.

Beyond the “Star Wars” franchise, Cantwell’s big-screen contributions include special effects for “2001: A Space Odyssey,” technical dialogue for “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” and a computer graphics design consultant for “WarGames.”

In 2014, an auction of some personal “Star Wars” artifacts, including some spacecraft designs, raised more than $118,000, Denver Post mentioned.