John Mollo was a costume designer best known for his work on the classic film Star Wars, which earned him his first Oscar win in 1978. He was responsible for crafting George Lucas’s conceptual vision for characters including Darth Vader, Princess Leia and the Stormtroopers.
Mollo was also Emmy nominated three times, for his work on the Horatio Hornblower limited series, for 1999’s installment of The Frogs and the Lobsters, 2001’s Mutiny and 2004’s Loyalty. Additionally, Mollo served as a military advisor on the TV series Wagner, starring Richard Burton and Vanessa Redgrave. Mollo so was interested in European and American military uniforms that he wrote several books on the subject.
In addition to Star Wars Episodes IV and V, Mollo also designed the costumes for the films Alien, Outland, Revolution, Cry Freedom, White Hunter Black Heart, Air America, Chaplin and The Three Musketeers. His second Oscar win came in 1983 for Gandhi.
Mollo died on October 25, 2017. He was 86.