Ron Cobb, production designer behind Alien, Back to the Future, dies at 83
Ron Cobb was the designer of the time travelling DeLorean in ‘Back to the Future’ trilogy
Ron Cobb, the production designer who helped define the aesthetics of sci-fi movies for generations, have died aged 83 in Australia.
Cobb was a significant influence on the look and aesthetics of films including "Alien," "Star Wars" and "Back to the Future."
Cobb died on his birthday, Monday, after an illustrious career contributing to production design in Hollywood. He served as a consultant for "Back to the Future," providing the initial designs for a DeLorean modified to travel through time, and several iconic alien species in the "Star Wars" universe.
His conceptual design work, alongside the legendary H.R. Giger on "Alien" is one of the most revered works in sci-fi design history. He is credited with not only designing the Nostromo ship from the film "Alien," but he also came up with the idea that xenomorph blood is corrosive.
Cobb's film career began in 1956, the year after he graduated from Burbank High School. He worked at Walt Disney, when he was just a teenager, for the animated classic "Sleeping Beauty."