Legendary Movie Poster Artist Drew Struzan Dies at 78

Legendary movie poster creator Drew Struzan died October 13, 2025 astatine the property of 78. He had been battling Alzheimer’s for respective years.

Struzan’s decease was made connected his Instagram: “​​It is with a dense bosom that I indispensable archer you that Drew Struzan has moved connected from this satellite arsenic of yesterday, October 13th. I consciousness it is important that you each cognize however galore times helium expressed to maine the joyousness helium felt knowing however overmuch you appreciated his art.”

Struzan is liable for immoderate of the astir iconic movie posters of each time, but his bequest whitethorn arguably beryllium his posters for the Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Harry Potter, and Back to the Future franchises, artwork that captured the magic of those movies for generations of fans.

“I had to astir unrecorded up to the creation that we aboriginal were going to inquire Drew to make for the poster,” Steven Spielberg erstwhile said.

Drew Struzan successful 2008. (Photo: Alexandra Wyman/WireImage)

Born successful 1947 successful Oregon, Struzan initially attracted announcement for his medium covers for philharmonic artists similar the Bee Gees, Alice Cooper, and Black Sabbath earlier Hollywood called connected his services and unthinkable skills arsenic a good artist.

Slash Film enactment this vocation modulation for Struzan best, writing: “For an creator who vibed connected the macabre and cosmic fantasies of 1970s euphony acts, Struzan was a earthy acceptable for a Hollywood that was connected the cusp of a monolithic paradigm displacement toward gee-whiz epic sci-fi and cliffhanger-driven mega-adventures.”

Struzan soon graduated from creating posters for ‘70s B-movies similar Food of the Gods and Empire of the Ants to taking his archetypal measurement into a larger satellite by illustrating the quality figures successful this poster for the 1978 re-release of Star Wars.

Struzan went connected to make iconic posters for a slew of movies from the 1980s and ‘90s, including: E.T. the Extraterrestrial, Blade Runner, The Thing, Shawshank Redemption, Big Trouble successful Little China, The Goonies, Adventures successful Babysitting, Batteries Not Included, An American Tail, Cannonball Run, Coming to America, Dreamscape, First Blood, The Muppet Movie, Muppet Treasure Island, The Great Muppet Caper, Harry and the Hendersons, Hook, Hocus Pocus, Johnny Dangerously, Masters of the Universe, Name of the Rose, Return to Oz, Rocky IV, Angels successful the Outfield and, judge it oregon not, the Police Academy movies.

He aboriginal created the posters for Guillermo del Toro’s archetypal 2 Hellboy movies and Pan’s Labyrinth.

“If you privation a story, spell spot the movie,” Struzan told Los Angeles Magazine successful 2014 erstwhile asked astir his attack to illustrating movie posters. “It’s axenic feeling alternatively of each the different worldly down it.”

What are your favourite Drew Struzan movie posters? Let america cognize successful the comments.