Richard Miller, the famed sculptor whose decades of memorable work at Industrial Light and Magic include creating Princess Leia’s gold bikini for Return of the Jedi and Davy Jones’ tentacle beard for two pirates of the Caribbean movies died. He was 80.
Miller died peacefully in his sleep on Thursday — two days after his birthday — at his Northern California home, an ILM spokesperson said. The Hollywood Reporter. He survived cancer and died after a long stay in hospice.
A fond member of ILM’s extended family, Miller was the lead sculptor and a key member of staff in the ILM Creature Shop and later the ILM Model Shop for nearly 30 years. He contributed to 55 feature films and numerous other projects dating back to 1981 when he joined the company to work on 1983’s Jedithe last episode in the original Star Wars trilogy.
His long list of in-studio credits also included the Star Wars precursors; multiple Star Trek movies included Generations (1994) and First contact (1996); the first three pirates of the Caribbean movies; and the last two Back to the future Characteristics.
He also contributed to it Ghostbusters (1984), Howard the duck (1986), Inner space (1987), Who framed Roger Rabbit (1988), Willow (1988), Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989), The Rocket Builder (1991), Hook (1991), The mask (1994), Jumanji (1995) and Planet of the Apes (2001).
In Jedi, Carrie Fisher’s Princess Leia is forced into a skimpy gold bikini by Jabba the Hutt after he captures her at his headquarters on the desert planet of Tatooine. She is also held captive with a chain, which she uses to kill the alien.
“I had to sit very straight because I couldn’t have lines on my sides, like little pleats,” Fisher recalled in her 2016 memoir, The princess’ diarist. “Wrinkles weren’t allowed, so I had to sit up very, very stiff.
“What redeems it is that I get to kill him, which was so nice. … I sawed his neck off with that chain I killed him with. I really enjoyed that because I hated wearing that outfit and sitting there stiff, and I couldn’t wait to kill him.
Carrie Fisher as Princess Leia in her iconic gold bikini in ‘Star Wars: Return of the Jedi’
Courtesy of the Everett Collection
Miller’s octopus-like beard for Bill Nighy’s Davy Jones, seen in the pirates of the Caribbean movies Deadman’s box (2006) and At the end of the world (2007), had to function like a living being, so the company used controls that let animators move the tentacles in specific ways. (Deadman’s box won the Oscar for Best Visual Effects.)
For the past two decades, Miller also taught at ILM, where he delivered enriching lessons in the art of sculpture.
“With his artistic skill as proof, a pleasant demeanor and wry sense of humor, Richard fit in from the start and became a permanent fixture at ILM,” a company spokesperson said in a statement. “Richard will be sorely missed by the entire ILM family, but his artistic contribution lives on in each of the films he contributed to and in the fond memories of all who knew him.”
