Legendary VFX Artist Marc Thorpe Has Passed Away
Legendary visual effects artist Marc Thorpe passed away after a battle with Parkinson’s. He was 77.
Thorpe was a noted Hollywood model-maker and puppet engineer when he joined George Lucas’ Industrial Light and Magic in 1979. He would go on to work on legendary films including The Empire Strikes Back, Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark, Return of the Jedi, and The Temple of Doom.
Outside of his work at ILM, Thorpe also worked on films, including Dragonslayer, Poltergeist, Howard the Duck, and The Hunt for Red October.
Creating Robot Wars
While designing toys for Lucasfilm, Thorpe began to develop the concept for what would eventually become Robot Wars. After leaving the company in 1994, he launched the first Robot Wars competition in San Francisco.
The event allowed amateur and professional robot builders to create remote-controlled robots and battle. The concept proved extremely popular, spreading to cities throughout the country and eventually inspiring the creation of TV specials and UK series.
A Remarkable Life
A tribute to Thorpe appeared on his website, highlighting his storied Hollywood career and his impact on the robotics community.
“Marc had quite a remarkable life. At various points he raised pet alligators, trained dolphins, built major portions of the Star Wars and Indiana Jones universes (and many others), created amazing art pieces, designed toys, worked on custom industrial design projects, engaged in unique performance art and perhaps most significantly invented the entire sport of robotic combat,” the website reads.
“Along the way,” the tribute continues, “he also was the main catalyst and inspiration for a huge and thriving community of highly creative individuals (which continues growing to this day) that would never have existed without his unique spark and guidance.”
Thorpe is survived by his daughter Megan and grandchildren Evelyn and Elliot. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family at this time.