Film editor Marcia Lucas has the type of filmography you’d have to wish for. From the ‘60s through the ‘80s she worked alongside the likes of Martin Scorsese, Francis Ford Coppola and Haskell Wexler. Her most prominent work was alongside her then-husband, George Lucas, editing the original Star Wars, which won her an Oscar. Sadly, Lucas has passed away from cancer, according to her family. She was 80.
“Marcia will be remembered as a brilliant storyteller, a trailblazer for women in film, a loving mother and grandmother, a generous host,” writes Lucas’ family in a statement. “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.”
Lucas was born in Modesto, California but moved to Hollywood to become a film librarian. By the time she was 20, she was already promoted to assistant editor at Sandler Films. It was working under Jaws editor Verna Fields where she met George Lucas, who would become her marital and creative partner. She was the assistant editor on George’s cult dystopian sci-fi THX 1138 and edited hit jukebox coming of age flick American Graffiti alongside Fields.
By the time Star Wars’ opening credits crawled, Marcia Lucas had already edited some of the most influential films of the era. This includes Scorsese’s gritty Taxi Driver, tender Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, and Wexler’s surreal farce on the infamous 1968 Democratic National Convention Medium Cool.
Her work on Star Wars would earn her an Academy Award, but it’s well known that her influence extended far beyond post-production. Nicknamed Star Wars‘ “secret weapon,” her opinions shaped many of the original saga’s plot beats, most integrally that Obi Wan would fall in his fight against Darth Vader. Lucas skipped The Empire Strikes Back but returned for Jedi. The overwhelming success of Star Wars made her feel comfortable departing from the film world and focusing on her personal life, divorcing George in 1983 due to his workaholic tendencies.
