As a lifelong Star Wars and Indiana Jones fan, I can’t help but feel a profound sense of gratitude towards Robert Watts. His contributions to the world of cinema, particularly those iconic sci-fi and adventure franchises, have been nothing short of monumental.
86-year-old Robert Watts, a renowned British film producer and production manager who worked closely with George Lucas on the original Star Wars trilogy and the initial Indiana Jones series, has sadly passed away.
On Monday, Watts passed away peacefully in his sleep at his residence in East Sussex, England, according to his representative, Julian Owen from Alliance Agents, who shared this news with The Hollywood Reporter. “For a decade, we had the privilege of accompanying him to conventions worldwide, allowing him to interact with fans and discuss his illustrious career,” Owen reminisced.
In addition, Watts collaborated with Steven Spielberg, the director of Indiana Jones, on two projects: “Who Framed Roger Rabbit” (1988) and “An American Tail: Fievel Goes West” (1991), which were produced by Spielberg.
In the initial blockbuster “Star Wars” movie, Watts played a crucial role as the production supervisor, working alongside production designer John Barry. Together, they embarked on journeys to Morocco and Tunisia to search for suitable locations. Later on, he took on some third-unit directing responsibilities.
20th Century Fox had been putting significant stress on us due to their own financial difficulties, as they weren’t confident about the film at that time. We were the only Fox production being shot globally, which made us a focal point for them. This meant George Lucas and the rest of us felt an intense pressure as well because of this focus.
The movie achieved tremendous success, as expected. Following this, Watts stepped up to become an associate producer for the film “The Empire Strikes Back” in 1980; he suggested that his brother Jeremy Bulloch play Boba Fett in it. Later, he served as co-producer for “Return of the Jedi” in 1983.
Watts was born in London on the 23rd of May, 1938. His grandpa, Walter Meade, was a screenwriter and one of his notable works was the war film “Scott of the Antarctic” (1948), which had John Mills in the lead role.
Following a two-year stint with national service in Nigeria, Watts transitioned into the film industry, initially working as an assistant on the 1960 comedy “A French Mistress.” For the subsequent two years, he served as a production manager at Shepperton Studios.
He held various roles such as second assistant director, location manager, and production manager on films like “The Man in the Middle” (1964), “Repulsion” (1965) directed by Roman Polanski, “Darling” (1965) helmed by John Schlesinger, and “Thunderball” (1965) produced by Terence Young. He served as a location manager for “You Only Live Twice” (1967), directed by Lewis Gilbert. Additionally, he functioned as a production manager on “Inspector Clouseau” (1968), Stanley Kubrick’s “2001: A Space Odyssey”, “El Condor” (1970) and “Papillon” (1973) directed by Franklin J. Schaffner.
In 1972, Watts held the position of production manager for Rita Hayworth’s final film, “The Wrath of God.” It was during this time that he had his initial encounter with producer Gary Kurtz, who was then in the process of creating “American Graffiti” alongside Lucas. Three years later, Kurtz reached out to Watts about collaborating on a project called “Star Wars,” which eventually materialized.
Back in September of ’76, George Lucas was footing the bill for the whole crew since Fox hadn’t given the go-ahead for the movie yet, and they finally did so in January.
On Facebook, Roger Christian – the set decorator who earned an Oscar for his Star Wars work – expressed that Watts was among the five individuals who strongly supported George Lucas and the small art department in bringing Star Wars to life.
Additionally, Watts’s work portfolio featured “The Other Side of Midnight” (1977), the Lucas-backed “Return to Oz” (1985), the Frank Marshall-helmed “Alive” (1993) and Steven Seagal’s “On Deadly Ground” (1994).
Survivors include his children, Barney, Simon and Liddy, and his former wife, Julia.
Rhett Bartlett contributed to this report.
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2024-10-01 19:24