‘Star Wars’ Art Director Les Dilley Has Passed Away at 84
While George Lucas is rightfully recognized as the driving creative force behind Star Wars, it is important to remember that the franchise’s creator could not bring his vision to life by himself.
Instead, it took a team of men and women at Lucasfilm to create the first Star Wars film, which featured one of the most influential aesthetics in cinema history and laid the groundwork for a franchise that has stood the test of time.
Photo: LeslieDilley.com
It is with this in mind that I am sad to report that Ivor Leslie ‘Les’ Dilley has passed away from complications with Alzheimer’s.
Early Career and ‘Star Wars’
Born in the Rhondda Valley, South Wales, in 1941, Dilley relocated with his family to London at the end of WWII.
At the age of 15, he began to pursue a career in filmmaking, entering a plastering and construction apprenticeship at the Associated British Picture Corporation.
Photo: Variety
By 1963, he landed a job as a plasterer on From Russia with Love, starting a career that would last over five decades.
In 1977, Dilley’s big break came when he was hired as an art director on George Lucas’s Star Wars: A New Hope.
Tasked with bringing Lucas’s vision to life, Dilley collaborated with production designer John Barry and art director Norman Reynolds to create the visual world of Star Wars.
From left to right: Roger Christian, Leslie Dilley, John Barry, Bill Welch, and Norman Reynolds behind the scenes on ‘Star Wars’.
Among the now-iconic sets that he worked on were Tatooine, the interior of the Death Star, and the Millennium Falcon.
Eventually, A New Hope would win an Academy Award for Best Art Direction.
Les Dilley secures Mark Hamill on the set of ‘The Empire Strikes Back’. Photo: LeslieDilley.com
Following the success of A New Hope, Dilley returned as an art director on 1980’s Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back. The second installment in the franchise would see the debut of memorable sets, including Hoth and Cloud City.
Dilley’s Other Credits
Outside of his Star Wars work, Dilley used his talents to help bring numerous other iconic films to life, including Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), Alien (1979), and The Abyss (1989).
Les Dilley on the set of Raiders of the Lost Ark. Photo: LeslieDilley.com
His other credits include The Three Musketeers (1973), Jesus Christ Superstar (1973), Superman (1978), Inspector Gadget (1999), and Cold Creek Manor (2003).
“He Will be Greatly Missed”
News of Dilley’s passing was shared by a representative, who told Deadline that he passed away on May 20, surrounded by his wife and family.
Photo: Netflix Junkie
“Les’ legacy lives on in the many iconic films he helped bring to life for over six decades and in his family home he personally built as an homage to his work,” Dilley’s family said in a statement.
Photo: Fantha Tracks
“His love for the motion picture business was evident to the very end. When he wasn’t on set, he enjoyed constructing things in his workshop at home, playing ice hockey, and a good cup of tea. In addition to his incredible work ethic, quirky British humour, and love of life, he was a dedicated and loving husband, father, grandfather and friend to many. He will be greatly missed.”
