Marcia Lucas, the British-born film editor whose work on the original Star Wars trilogy helped define the visual language of modern cinema, has died in London. She was 80.
Her death was confirmed by a family spokesperson, who said she passed away peacefully at her home in Hampstead on Tuesday morning. No cause was given.
Lucas, then Marcia Griffin, met George Lucas in the late 1960s while working as a film editor in San Francisco. They married in 1969 and divorced in 1983. She was the editor on his first three Star Wars films – A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi – and won an Academy Award for Best Film Editing in 1978 for her work on the first film.
Her editing was widely credited with shaping the emotional core of the original trilogy. In a 2015 interview with The Guardian, George Lucas said: “She was the one who made the movies work. She understood story and character better than anyone I’ve ever worked with.”
Born in London in 1945, Marcia Lucas studied at the London College of Printing before moving to California. She worked on American Graffiti and appeared as an uncredited co-writer on the Star Wars story. After her divorce, she largely withdrew from the film industry, settling in London where she was involved in philanthropic work.
Tributes were led by British film institutions. The British Film Institute said: “Marcia Lucas was a giant of editing whose invisible craft shaped a generation’s imagination. Her contribution to British and global cinema is immeasurable.”
Sir Ian McDiarmid, who played Emperor Palpatine, said: “She gave the force its rhythm.”
Lucas is survived by a sister and two nieces. A private funeral will be held in London next week.
