Harry Potter franchise production designer Stuart Craig passed away on Sunday following a Parkinson’s disease diagnosis. He was 83 years old.
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In a statement on Facebook, Neil Lamont, through the British Film Designers Guild, confirmed the tragic news.
“Stuart was the UK’s and, most probably, cinemas most revered film Designer,” the statement reads. “Winner of 3 Oscars, Gandhi, Dangerous Liaisons, and The English Patient, and many other awards. A true giant!”
Lamont further shared, “Stuart and I first worked together on The English Patient, flying to Tunis to join him was one of the most important days of my career. Straight out of the airport, on a recce of a local derelict, ruined building, 40 degrees, nervous, and I probably did one of the poorest surveys ever on a location. It turned out that we, subsequently, found better places.”
The fellow production designer described Craig as very generous with his time and advice, noting he always took the time to share his knowledge and support others around him.
“We went on to work on so many other films,” Lamond continued. “I had my own shorthand with him after such a long time, so did all the great people on 8 Potter films, and the Fantastic Beasts trilogy. What a great tutor.”
Craig is survived by his wife Patricia and their two children.
Stuart Craig’s Production Design Career Began in the late 1960s
Born on April 14, 1942, in Norwich, Norfolk, Stuart Craig started his production design career in 1967.
He was nominated for 11 Academy Awards and won three. The first Academy Award he won was in 1982 for his work on Gandhi. His second was the 1988 film Dangerous Liaisons, and the third was for 1996’s The English Patient.
Craig also received 16 BAFTA nominations and won three.
He worked on all eight Harry Potter films and all three Fantastic Beasts films. Craig went on to work with Universal Creative to design the Wizarding World of Harry Potter for Universal’s Islands of Adventure.
Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling requested that Craig work on the theme park’s project, noting in 2007, “The key thing for me was that, if there was to be a theme park, that Stuart Craig would be involved. More than involved, that he would pretty much design it. Because I love the look of the films; they really mirror what’s been in my imagination for all these years.”