Farewell to the Wizard of the Silver Screen: Drew Struzan, Legendary Movie Poster Artist, Dies at 78

Feature Title: Drew Struzan; the Artist Whose Pen Immortalized the Soul of Blockbusters on Canvas

Drew Struzan, the renowned and unparalleled artist whose iconic, hand-illustrated posters captured the crackling essence of classic movies stretching from “Star Wars” to “Harry Potter,” has died at the age of 78. Struzan, whose art adorned the walls of every child who ever fell in love with cinema, passed away on October 13, 2025

The Visual Architect of the Blockbuster Era

Struzan’s rise to prominence as a poster designer coincided with the advent of blockbuster franchise filmmaking in the 70s and 80s. He quickly became the studios’ trusted “dreamweaver,” and his name became linked with the greatest directors in cinematic history

Visionary directors like George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, and John Carpenter constantly sought out his unique style. Some of the most famous works that immortalized his name include

• The original Star Wars trilogy
• The Indiana Jones film series
• The Back to the Future trilogy
• E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
• Blade Runner
• The Shawshank Redemption
• And the official posters for the Harry Potter trilogy

Art Beyond an Advertisement

Struzan’s style was instantly recognizable and utterly inimitable. Throughout his career, he created over 150 movie posters and retired from full-time work in 2008

Struzan connected powerfully with millions of movie fans and fired our imaginations. Regarding his approach to illustrating movie posters, he once said, “If you want a story, go see the movie. (The poster) is pure feeling, not all the other stuff behind it

In Search of Peace

Drew Struzan’s wife, Dylan Struzan, had previously announced in March [2025] that the artist had been battling Alzheimer’s disease for several years. In her message, she said that despite his illness, Drew has left a strong legacy of love and joy in the form of his work. His aim was always to make the earth a better place in which to live by creating something beautiful

With the passing of Drew Struzan, cinema has lost one of its greatest visual architects; an artist who reminded us that a poster is not just an advertisement, but a magic window into an entire world

Source: Slash Film

Source: imdb

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