Marcia Lucas, 1945 – 2026

Oscar-winning film editor (Star Wars) Marcia Lucas, 80, died on May 27. Lucas started her career editing promotional films and trailers, but after her marriage (from 1969-83) to director George Lucas, she began working on his films. She edited Lucas’s films THX 1138, American Graffiti, and three Star Wars films (A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi); she also edited Martin Scorsese’s Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore. She said of her working relationship with her husband, “I never cared for THX because it left me cold. When the studio didn't like the film, I wasn't surprised. But George just said to me I was stupid and knew nothing. Because I was just a Valley Girl. He was the intellectual.” Producer Sandra Weintraub said of her, “Here she was, a wonderful editor working on her husband's films. I don't think she got taken seriously.”