Stuart Craig, a three-time Oscar-winning production designer who brought Hogwarts to life with his work on all eight “Harry Potter” films, died on Sunday at the age of 83, according to the British Film Designers Guild.
Craig won his Oscars for his work on “Gandhi” in 1983, “Dangerous Liaisons” in 1989, and “The English Patient” in 1997 before going on to leave a huge mark on pop culture designing the environments of the “Harry Potter” films and their trio of “Fantastic Beasts” spinoffs.
Those designs for locales such as Hogwarts, Hogsmeade, the Ministry of Magic, and other locations from J.K. Rowling’s books earned Craig two additional Oscar nominations along with six BAFTA nominations. They also became the basis for Universal’s theme park attractions based on the films in Hollywood, Orlando, Osaka and Singapore.
Other films in Craig’s credits prior to “Gandhi” include “The Elephant Man,” “Chaplin,” and “The Secret Garden.”
In a Facebook post announcing Craig’s death, designer Neil Lamont talked about how he first met Craig when working on “The English Patient” with him in Tunisia.
“Straight out of the airport, on a recce of a local derelict, ruined building, 40 degrees, nervous, and I probably did one of the poorest surveys ever on a location. It turned out that we, subsequently, found better places,” he wrote. “The experiences I had on this film, not only allowed me to see Stuart’s talent, his beautiful sketches, pencil drawings and vision, but also the way which he conducted himself in all walks of life, in the studio, the car, restaurants. A true gentleman, with grace, kindness and humility.”
“I bet that anyone you ask, ‘which designer would you like to work with the most’ the answer 100% would be Stuart Craig, and anyone who met him will remember their encounter forever,” Lamont continued. “I replay all mine, all the time, he will never be forgotten. He will be sorely missed by all who knew him.”
