Greg Hildebrandt, famously known as an artist and illustrator who worked on movie posters for the original Star Wars and Clash of the Titans, drew Marvel characters, and created 1970s calendars for the Lord of the Rings has died at the age of 85.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Hildebrandt died in Denville, New Jersey. Over the last five months, he had been battling a severe side effect from his heart medication.
Hildebrandt used to partner with his late twin brother, Tim Hildebrandt, to illustrate for numerous publishers and media including DC Comics, Dungeons & Dragons, and even the Black Sabbath album Mob Rules.
Greg Hildebrandt was born in Detroit on Jan. 23, 1939 to George, a Chevrolet division chef, and Germaine, a homemaker. They began drawing comic books at the age of 6. He and his brother took a six-month class at the Meinzinger Art School and quickly began painting professionally in 1959. In 1963, they moved to New York and worked for Archbishop Fulton J Sheen. In the 70s, they did the Lord of the Rings calendars, and in the 80s the poster for Clash of the Titans. They then decided to split ways and work independently with Greg illustrating his book, Greg Hildebrandt’s Favorite Fairy Tales.
The brothers came together after about a decade to work on the 158-card Marvel Masterpieces set. They worked together until Tim’s death in 2006.
Hildebrandt’s last piece of work will be published in the program for the Trans-Siberian Orchestra’s winter tour.
Hildebrandt “led a life of creative discipline and was the consummate professional,” his family shared in a statement “Every job was treated with the same level of professionalism. Greg lived his life in the pursuit of ‘getting it right.’”
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