Brian Muir

Film Industry Role: Sculptor

Nationality: British

Major Works: Star Wars (1976), Rogue One (2016), Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007) and Planet of the Apes (2001)

 

Brian Ian Muir is one of the most respected sculptors and artists in the film industry and the man who brought to life Darth Vader’s mask. He has been working in film for over 48 years.

In 1968, at the age of 16, he began his 4-year apprenticeship as a sculptor/modeller at Elstree Film Studios.
After completing his apprenticeship, Brian left the film industry. He honed his skills by working on many prestigious commissions in London i.e. Royal Coat of Arms for the Crown Court, and was asked to build a plaque for the Stock Exchange, that was unveiled by the Queen.

In 1976 Brian was asked to return to Elstree Studios to work on Star Wars and sculpted the now infamous Darth Vader. He also sculpted the Storm Trooper armour, Death Star Droid, CZ 3, and finished the work on C3PO.

During his extensive 48 year career in the film industry Brian has worked on over 70 major movies like Alien (1979), several 007 films such as The Spy Who Loved Me and Octopussy, Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), Excalibur (1987), Tim Burton’s Planet of the Apes and Sleepy Hollow (1999), Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001), the fan favourite The Princess Bride (1987), and more recently Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007), Snow White and the Huntsman (2012), Anna Karenina (2012), Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) and Rogue One (2016).

When Brian came to realise there was a real interest in Star Wars and many of the other major movies he had worked on over the years, he wrote his autobiography 'In the Shadow of Vader' which has been very well received and is currently on its 3rd print. He recently published the second and final part of his autobiography ‘ Beyond the Shadow’ which is also proving to be a fan favourite.

 

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