Original Star Wars Editor And Saga’s ‘Secret Weapon’ Marcia Lucas Passes Away

Film editor Marcia Lucas died of cancer at 80, her family said. “Marcia will be remembered as a brilliant storyteller, a trailblazer for women in film, a loving mother and grandmother, a generous host,” her family wrote. “Her influence on film is indelible, but those who knew her best will remember the way she made life feel more vivid, more beautiful, more fun, and more full of love.” Born in Modesto, California, Lucas moved to Hollywood to work as a film librarian and by 20 had been promoted to assistant editor at Sandler Films.

While working under Jaws editor Verna Fields she met George Lucas and later served as assistant editor on his cult dystopian THX 1138 and edited American Graffiti alongside Fields. By the time Star Wars’ opening credits crawled she had already edited influential films including Taxi Driver, Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore and Medium Cool.

United States, Modesto, California

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