Robert Blalack, Star Wars Oscar-Winning Visual Effects Artist, Dies At 73

Robert Blalack, a visual effects artist known largely for his Oscar-winning work on the original Star Wars film, has died. His wife confirmed the news with The Hollywood Reporter, saying her husband passed away due to complications with cancer last Wednesday at their home in Paris. In addition to his Academy Award win, Blalack co-founded Industrial Light & Magic, one of the leading visual effects providers in Hollywood today.

Blalack was 73.

To complement his Oscar, Blalack also won an Emmy for his work on ABC's The Day After, a television film about a nuclear war between the United States and Soviet Union. At the time, the film was the most-watched made-for-TV movie.

Born in Panama in 1948, Blalack's earliest work in Tinsel Town came on Peter Davis' Hearts and Minds (1974). Working with John Dykstra on that production, the two artist joined forces with George Lucas to launch Industrial Light & Magic while simultaneously working on Star Wars in 1977.

"All of us changed the direction of filmmaking," Blalack said during a 2017 ILM reunion. "Because of you, visions that were once completely impossible are now within reach. And you know it wasn't always like that."

He added, "We discovered that building ILM from scratch during production was like jumping out of a plane and stitching up the parachute during free fall."

Blalack is survived by his wife, Caroline Charron-Blalack, and their son Paul.