Les Dilley obit

Les Dilley, ‘Star Wars,’ ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark’ Art Director, Dies at 84

The Oscar-winning production designer died May 20 from complications due to Alzheimer’s disease.

 He was not on the list.

Les Dilley, the Oscar-winning art director and production designer, has died. He was 84

Dilley died on May 20 due to complications from Alzheimer’s disease, his family said. “Les’s 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. 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 humor, and love of life, he was a dedicated and loving husband, father, grandfather and friend to many. He will be greatly missed,” the family said in a statement obtained by The Hollywood.

Dilley worked on 100 film and TV projects over his 60 year career, with his biggest credits being Raiders of the Lost Ark and Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope, for which he earned Academy Award trophies for best art direction. That brought him on set to work with Hollywood directors like George Lucas, James Cameron, Steven Spielberg, Ridley Scott, Irvin Kershner, John Landis and Mimi Leader

Dilley was also nominated for best art direction for Alien, The Empire Strikes Back and The Abyss. In 2020, Dilley was honored with a BAFTA Award for his contribution to British cinema

Born on July 11, 1941, in the Rhondda Valley of South Wales. Dilley’s family at the end of the Second World War moved to London. At 15 years of age, Dilley started his film career with a plastering and construction apprenticeship at the Associated British Picture Corporation, while also studying architecture and building construction at Willesden Technical College.

At age 23, he was a plaster worker on the James Bond movie From Russia With Love and continued to work his way up the art department ladder as a draughtsman and then assistant art director on films including like Kelly’s Heroes and Jesus Christ Superstar.

In 1973, Dilley became an art director on Richard Lester’s The Three Musketeers, and eventually became part of the UK team working on Star Wars for George Lucas, as Dilley worked alongside John Barry, Norman Reynolds and Roger Christian.

Over the next decade, Dilley helped shaped the visual identity on enduring films like Superman, Alien, Empire Strikes Back, Raiders of the Lost Ark, An American Werewolf in London, Never Say Never Again and Legend. In 1985, he moved to Hollywood to work as a production designer on films like The Abyss, which was released in 1989 and directed by James Cameron.

For that movie, Dilley transformed an abandoned nuclear power plant in South Carolina into a large underwater filming sets, wit the main underwater tank measuring 55 ft deep by 209 ft wide. “The Abyss was the most challenging for me. It was over a year’s worth of work, very long days with a few nights until 3 am, and on weekends the art department did not stop, so I was continually checking on the construction being done. I had worked with water on Legend, Never Say Never Again and Lucky Lady, so I had some experience with water, but nothing close to the scale of The Abyss. Also, my wife Leslie and I had the first of our four children during that film, so that made that time even more memorable,” Dilley recalled in a 2020 interview in Buzz.

Other credits included The Exorcist III, Guilty by Suspicion, Casper, The Peacemaker, Inspector Gadget, Deep Impact and Men of Honor. In the 1990s, Dilley expanded to work as a second unit director on projects like Honey, I Blew Up the Kid, Diabolique, Pay It Forward and Cold Creek Manor.

Dilley is survived by his wife of 38 years, Leslie Lykes Dilley, their four children, Sophia Dilley, Leslie John Dilley II, Ivory Dilley and Leslie John III, and a daughter, Georgia Dilley, from his marriage to Amanda Dilley.

Dilley was a member of AMPAS, BAFTA, ADG, DGA, and SAG. Dilley was repped for his entire career at The Gersh Agency, by the late Phil Gersh, David Gersh and Barbara Halperin.

Actor

Cold Creek Manor (2003)

Cold Creek Manor

5.0

Antique Dealer

2003

Martin Lawrence, Kevin Conway, Vincent Regan, Marsha Thomason, and Jeannette Weegar in Black Knight (2001)

Black Knight

4.9

Man #2 (uncredited)

2001

Promo poster

Pay It Forward

7.2

The Governor

2000

Elijah Wood and Leelee Sobieski in Deep Impact (1998)

Deep Impact

6.3

Waiter

1998

George Clooney and Nicole Kidman in The Peacemaker (1997)

The Peacemaker

6.0

Priest - NY

1997

Robert De Niro in Guilty by Suspicion (1991)

Guilty by Suspicion

6.5

First Assistant Director (as Ivor Leslie Dilley)

1991

Producer

Black Angel (1980)

Black Angel

6.5

Short

producer

1980

Production Designer

New-Gen

Production Designer

In ProductionTV Series

Teacup Travels (2015)

Teacup Travels

7.6

TV Series

Production Designer

2015–2017

45 episodes

Rob Lowe in Drew Peterson: Untouchable (2012)

Drew Peterson: Untouchable

6.0

TV Movie

Production Designer

2012

The Quinn-tuplets

6.6

TV Movie

Production Designer

2010

Marlon Wayans and Shawn Wayans in Little Man (2006)

Little Man

4.5

Production Designer

2006

Alan Cumming, Bob Hoskins, Traylor Howard, Jamie Kennedy, Bear, Liam Falconer, and Ryan Falconer in Son of the Mask (2005)

Son of the Mask

2.3

Production Designer

2005

Cold Creek Manor (2003)

Cold Creek Manor

5.0

Production Designer

2003

Martin Lawrence, Kevin Conway, Vincent Regan, Marsha Thomason, and Jeannette Weegar in Black Knight (2001)

Black Knight

4.9

Production Designer

2001

Promo poster

Pay It Forward

7.2

Production Designer

2000

Robert De Niro and Cuba Gooding Jr. in Men of Honor (2000)

Men of Honor

7.2

Production Designer

2000

Matthew Broderick and Rupert Everett in Inspector Gadget (1999)

Inspector Gadget

4.2

Production Designer

1999

Elijah Wood and Leelee Sobieski in Deep Impact (1998)

Deep Impact

6.3

Production Designer

1998

George Clooney and Nicole Kidman in The Peacemaker (1997)

The Peacemaker

6.0

Production Designer

1997

Sharon Stone, Isabelle Adjani, and Chazz Palminteri in Diabolique (1996)

Diabolique

5.5

Production Designer

1996

Winona Ryder, Anne Bancroft, Ellen Burstyn, Alfre Woodard, and Kate Nelligan in How to Make an American Quilt (1995)

How to Make an American Quilt

6.3

Production Designer

1995

Brad Garrett, Joe Alaskey, Joe Nipote, and Malachi Pearson in Casper (1995)

Casper

6.2

Production Designer

1995

Thora Birch and Finster in Monkey Trouble (1994)

Monkey Trouble

5.3

Production Designer (as Les Dilley)

1994

Eddie Murphy in The Distinguished Gentleman (1992)

The Distinguished Gentleman

5.9

Production Designer

1992

Honey, I Blew Up the Kid (1992)

Honey, I Blew Up the Kid

4.9

Production Designer (production designed by)

1992

Bill Murray and Richard Dreyfuss in What About Bob? (1991)

What About Bob?

7.0

Production Designer (as Les Dilley)

1991

Robert De Niro in Guilty by Suspicion (1991)

Guilty by Suspicion

6.5

Production Designer

1991

The Exorcist III (1990)

The Exorcist III

6.5

Production Designer (production designed by)

1990

The Abyss (1989)

The Abyss

7.5

Production Designer

1989

Joan Cusack and Daniel Day-Lewis in Stars and Bars (1988)

Stars and Bars

4.8

Production Designer

1988

Sharon Stone and Richard Chamberlain in Allan Quatermain and the Lost City of Gold (1986)

Allan Quatermain and the Lost City of Gold

4.6

Production Designer

1986

Invaders from Mars (1986)

Invaders from Mars

5.5

Production Designer

1986

Steve Guttenberg in Bad Medicine (1985)

Bad Medicine

4.7

Production Designer (as Les Dilley)

1985

Art Director

Legend (1985)

Legend

6.3

supervising art director

1985

Kim Basinger, Sean Connery, and Barbara Carrera in Never Say Never Again (1983)

Never Say Never Again

6.1

supervising art director

1983

Gene Hackman in Eureka (1983)

Eureka

5.9

supervising art director (as Les Dilley)

1983

Griffin Dunne and David Naughton in An American Werewolf in London (1981)

An American Werewolf in London

7.5

Art Director

1981

Harrison Ford, Karen Allen, Paul Freeman, Wolf Kahler, Ronald Lacey, and Terry Richards in Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)

Raiders of the Lost Ark

8.4

Art Director

1981

Harrison Ford, Anthony Daniels, Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill, James Earl Jones, David Prowse, Kenny Baker, and Peter Mayhew in Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980)

Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back

8.7

Art Director

1980

Alien (1979)

Alien

8.5

Art Director (as Les Dilley)

1979

Gene Hackman, Terence Stamp, Ned Beatty, Christopher Reeve, Jackie Cooper, Sarah Douglas, Jeff East, Margot Kidder, Jack O'Halloran, Valerie Perrine, and Susannah York in Superman (1978)

Superman

7.4

Art Director (as Les Dilley)

1978

Ann-Margret, Marty Feldman, and Michael York in The Last Remake of Beau Geste (1977)

The Last Remake of Beau Geste

6.0

Art Director (as Les Dilley)

1977

Anthony Daniels, Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill, James Earl Jones, David Prowse, and Kenny Baker in Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977)

Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope

8.6

Art Director

1977

Charlton Heston, Raquel Welch, Richard Chamberlain, Faye Dunaway, Oliver Reed, Michael York, and Frank Finlay in The Four Musketeers: Milady's Revenge (1974)

The Four Musketeers: Milady's Revenge

6.9

Art Director (as Les Dilley)

1974

Charlton Heston, Raquel Welch, Richard Chamberlain, Faye Dunaway, Oliver Reed, and Michael York in The Three Musketeers (1973)

The Three Musketeers

7.1

Art Director (as Les Dilley)

1973

Second Unit or Assistant Director

Sharon Stone, Isabelle Adjani, and Chazz Palminteri in Diabolique (1996)

Diabolique

5.5

second unit director

1996

Winona Ryder, Anne Bancroft, Ellen Burstyn, Alfre Woodard, and Kate Nelligan in How to Make an American Quilt (1995)

How to Make an American Quilt

6.3

second unit director

1995

Thora Birch and Finster in Monkey Trouble (1994)

Monkey Trouble

5.3

second unit director

1994

Honey, I Blew Up the Kid (1992)

Honey, I Blew Up the Kid

4.9

second unit director

1992

Art Department

Kim Basinger, Sean Connery, and Barbara Carrera in Never Say Never Again (1983)

Never Say Never Again

6.1

supervising art director

1983

Gene Hackman, Burt Reynolds, and Liza Minnelli in Lucky Lady (1975)

Lucky Lady

5.2

assistant art director (uncredited)

1975

Christopher Lee, Roger Moore, Maud Adams, Britt Ekland, and Hervé Villechaize in The Man with the Golden Gun (1974)

The Man with the Golden Gun

6.7

draughtsperson (uncredited)

1974

The Final Programme (1973)

The Final Programme

5.4

assistant art director

1973

Jesus Christ Superstar (1973)

Jesus Christ Superstar

7.3

assistant art director (uncredited)

1973

Scorpio (1973)

Scorpio

6.4

assistant art director (uncredited)

1973

Sitting Target (1972)

Sitting Target

6.6

assistant art director (uncredited)

1972

Twiggy in The Boy Friend (1971)

The Boy Friend

6.8

assistant art director (uncredited)

1971

Macbeth (1971)

Macbeth

7.4

assistant art director (uncredited)

1971

Vanessa Redgrave and Oliver Reed in The Devils (1971)

The Devils

7.7

assistant art director (uncredited)

1971

Penny Brahms and Joanna Lumley in Lady Chatterly Versus Fanny Hill (1971)

Lady Chatterly Versus Fanny Hill

3.4

assistant art director (as Les Dilley)

1971

Clint Eastwood, Donald Sutherland, Telly Savalas, and Don Rickles in Kelly's Heroes (1970)

Kelly's Heroes

7.6

assistant art director (uncredited)

1970

Additional Crew

Sharon Stone, Isabelle Adjani, and Chazz Palminteri in Diabolique (1996)

Diabolique

5.5

technical coordinator

1996

Thanks

The Galaxy Britain Built (2017)

The Galaxy Britain Built

7.9

TV Movie

special thanks

2017

Milla Jovovich, Gary Oldman, and Bruce Willis in The Fifth Element (1997)

The Fifth Element

7.6

special thanks

1997

Self

The Galaxy Britain Built (2017)

The Galaxy Britain Built

7.9

TV Movie

Self - 'Star Wars' Art Director

2017

Death, Be Not Proud: All This Bleeding (2016)

Death, Be Not Proud: All This Bleeding

5.9

Video

Self

2016

Death, Be Not Proud: The Devil in the Details

6.4

Video

Self

2016

Death, Be Not Proud: A 'Wonderfull' Time (2016)

Death, Be Not Proud: A 'Wonderfull' Time

6.5

Video

Self

2016

Beware the Moon: Remembering 'An American Werewolf in London' (2009)

Beware the Moon: Remembering 'An American Werewolf in London'

7.6

Self

2009

The Alien Legacy (1999)

The Alien Legacy

7.2

Video

Self

1999

Honey I Blew Up the Kid: The Making of 'Honey I Blew Up the Kid' (1992)

Honey I Blew Up the Kid: The Making of 'Honey I Blew Up the Kid'

7.2

Video

Self

1992

The 54th Annual Academy Awards (1982)

The 54th Annual Academy Awards

6.3

TV Special

Self - Winner

1982

The 50th Annual Academy Awards (1978)

The 50th Annual Academy Awards

7.2

TV Special

Self - Winner

1978