John Barry (set designer)

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John Barry (1935-1979) was an influential British production designer, described by Richard Donner as a “genius” and best known for his work on fantasy films.

Amongst his credits are A Clockwork Orange, Star Wars, and the first two Superman films. The polished surfaces of the Death Star and the crystalline Krypton in these two films are the clearest expressions of Barry's personal style.

Following these box office hits Barry was given the chance to direct his own project, the science fiction film Saturn 3. During the filming Barry fell out with the movie's star Kirk Douglas and was replaced by Stanley Donen. Fortunately he was snapped up by George Lucas as a second unit director on The Empire Strikes Back. Two weeks into filming, he collapsed on set, and died shortly afterwards of meningitis.