Les Dilley, the award-winning art director and production designer on a number of films, passed away on May 20 at age 84 from Alzheimer’s complications.
Born July 11, 1941 in Rhondda, Wales, Dilley began his film career with a construction and plastering apprenticeship at the Associated British Picture Corporation when he was 15. At age 23, he was a plaster worker on 1963’s From Russia With Love, then an assistant art director on Jesus Christ Superstar and Kelly’s Heroes. After being an art director for 1973’s Three Musketeers and its 1974 sequel, he joined the UK team for Star Wars: A New Hope, and helped to create a physical build for R2-D2, the sandcrawler, and Luke’s landspeeder.
He proceeded to direct art for its sequel, Empire Strikes Back, along with Raiders of the Lost Ark, Alien, Superman, and An American Werewolf in London. His production designer credits include The Abyss, Exorcist III, Invaders From Mars, Casper, Black Knight, and Deep Impact. While Abyss, Empire, and Alien each earned him Oscar nominations, New Hope and Raiders earned him wins for Best Art Direction, both shared with fellow art director Norman Reynolds, who passed in 2023.
After working as a production designer on the British kids’ show Teacup Travels ended in 2017, Dilley retired. (IMDB and Mubi credit him on a web series called New-Gen, which at time of writing, has yet to release.) In 2020, BAFTA’s Welsh branch—the British Academy Cymru Awards—honored him with an Outstanding Contribution to Film and Television Award. There, he was heaped with praise from George Lucas, Ridley Scott, and others who’d worked with him over the years. Lucas described him as his “main contact with the art department, and an all-around great guy. […] If anybody deserves this award, it’s you.”
Les Dilley’s survived by his wife Leslie and five children. In a statement, the family said his 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. 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.”
[via The Hollywood Reporter]
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