Robert Watts Dies: ‘Star Wars’ & ‘Indiana Jones’ Trilogies Producer Was 86
Robert Watts, a production manager on George Lucas’ Star Wars and producer on its first two sequels along with Steven Spielberg’s first three blockbuster Indiana Jones movies and Who Framed Roger Rabbit, died Monday in his sleep at his home in West Sussex, England. He was 88. His rep Julian Owen of Alliance Media confirmed the news to Deadline, writing: “Goodnight to my wonderful friend and client Robert Watts, Producer of some of the most famous films in cinema history. … Talking about his career was his favourite thing to do. We had some amazing adventures together which I will cherish forever.” After working on Star Wars, Watts was an associate producer on smash 1980 sequel The Empire Strikes Back, which solidified and furthered the Star Wars galaxy as a cultural touchstone. The next year he served in the same role for Raiders of the Lost Ark, which introduced the world to an adventurous archeologist named Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford). Londoner Watts graduated to co-producer on Lucas’ 1983 threequel Return of the Jedi and the following year served as producer on the first Raiders sequel, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. He also produced the second sequel, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, which famously teamed Ford’s title character with his archeologist dad (Sean Connery). In between the latter two, Watts also produced Who Framed Roger Rabbit, the groundbreaking live-action/animation hybrid starring Bob Hoskins. Combined with the original Star Wars, those seven films spanning a dozen years grossed more than $3.34 billion worldwide. DEADLINE RELATED VIDEO: Watts also was busy during the 1990s, serving as a producer on the 1991 toon sequel An American Tail: Fievel Goes West and Frank Marshall’s 1993 pic Alive and follow-up documentary Alive: 20 Years Later. “We have sadly lost another great one, Robert Watts,” Marshall posted on social media. “He was loved by all who worked with him, and I learned a lot from his vast knowledge, wonderful spirit and sense of humor. Sail on, dear friend, sail on.” Born on May 23, 1938, in London, Watts earlier in his career, worked as a production or unit manager on such films as Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), Inspector Clouseau (1968), Papillon (1973), and Sky Riders (1976). Before that, he was a second unit or assistant director on the 1965 James Bond pic Thunderball — also starring Connery — along with other mid-’60s films including The Winston Affair, The Yellow Rolls-Royce, Hysteria and Darling. Watts also appeared in an unbilled role as an AT-ST driver in Return of the Jedi and did some voice work on An American Tale: Fievel Goes West. Alliance Media’s Owen cited Watt’s friend and caretaker Sue Rummery. She “looked after him for many years,” he said. “Without her we would not have been able to take Robert to conventions.” He added that Watts’ “Robert’s “lasting wish was to see Harrison Ford one last time. We were lucky enough to make that a reality last year at the London Premiere of [Indiana Jones and the] Dial of Destiny in Leicester Square.” Information on survivors and a memorial service was not immediately available.
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