Marcia Lucas, who won an Oscar for editing the original Star Wars and scored a nom for American Graffiti, both directed by her then-husband George Lucas, and worked with Martin Scorsese and Francis Ford Coppola, died May 27 of cancer in Rancho Mirage, CA. She was 80.
Her family’s attorney, Deidre Von Rock, confirmed the news in a statement.
“Marcia was a force,” the statement reads in part. “A true trailblazer for women in film and one of the most influential editors in cinematic history; she helped redefine what film editing could be and paved the way for generations of women who followed.” Read the statement in full below.
Marcia Lucas made her feature debut as an editor on American Graffiti, the nostalgia-fueled 1973 classic directed by George Lucas, to whom she was wed in 1969. The music-fueled coming-of-age dramedy was set on the last day of summer vacation and followed graduated seniors setting off on different post-high school paths. Along with child star Ron Howard, it featured a young cast of future stars including Richard Dreyfuss, Cindy Williams and Mackenzie Phillips, among others.
She shared an Oscar nomination for American Graffiti, whose commercial success helped George Lucas finance his next movie — one that would change Hollywood forever.
Star Wars arrived in 1977 and was an out-of-the-box sensation. The space opera starring Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher and Harrison Ford rewrote record books and solidified the Age of the Blockbuster spawned by Jaws two years earlier. Marcia Lucas, Paul Hirsch and Richard Chew shared the Academy Award for Best Film Editing, one of six it scored that year, en route to become one of the most beloved films ever and spawning an incredibly successful and lucrative franchise.
Marcia Lucas flanked by Richard Chew, left, and Paul Hirsch at the 1978 Oscars
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Born Martha Griffin on October 4, 1945, in Modesto — the Central California town where American Graffiti is set — Marcia Lucas began her career as a film librarian before pivoting to editing. After American Graffiti, she edited Martin Scorsese’s 1976 classic Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, starring Ellen Burstyn and Kris Kristofferson, before reteaming with her husband on Star Wars. She later would edit the third film in the original trilogy, 1983’s Return of the Jedi.
Her other film credits including serving as supervising film editor on Scorsese’s Robert de Niro-led Taxi Driver (1976) and the iconic filmmaker’s follow-up New York, New York (1977), which starred De Niro and Liza Minnelli. Before American Graffiti, Marcia Lucas worked as an assistant editor on Robert Redford starrer The Candidate (1972) and George Lucas’ feature debut THX 1138 (1971). She also worked as an assistant editor on Francis Ford Coppola’s 1969 drama The Rain People and Haskell Wexler’s Medium Cool earlier that year.
Later in her career, Lucas was an executive producer on the 1996 film No Easy Way and had producing credits on a pair of short films.
Lucas is survived by her daughters Amanda Lucas and Amy Soper; her grandchildren Felix Hallikainen, Aeliana Hallikainen and Knox Soper; and her chosen family Sarah Dyer and Jon Taylor. She and George Lucas divorced in 1983.
Here is the family’s statement in full:
It is with deep sadness that the family of Marcia Lucas, the Academy Award-winning film editor whose extraordinary sense of story helped shape some of the most beloved and influential films of the 1970s, passed away peacefully and surrounded by loved ones at her home in Rancho Mirage, California on May 27, 2026. She was 80. The cause of death was metastatic cancer.
Born on October 4, 1945, in Modesto, California, Marcia was raised in North Hollywood and began her career in film as a film librarian before developing into one of the most respected editors of her generation. Her credits included THX 1138, American Graffiti, Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, Taxi Driver, New York, New York, Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope, and Return of the Jedi.
Marcia received an Academy Award nomination for Best Film Editing for American Graffiti and won the Academy Award for Best Film Editing for Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope. Her work was known for its emotional intelligence, rhythm, and humanity — a rare ability to find the truth of a scene and bring heart, momentum, and clarity to the screen.
Marcia will be remembered as a brilliant storyteller, a trailblazer for women in film, a loving mother and grandmother, a generous host, and a loyal friend whose humor and sparkle filled every room she entered. 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.
She is survived by her daughters Amanda Lucas and Amy Soper; her grandchildren Felix Hallikainen, Aeliana Hallikainen, and Knox Soper; her chosen family Sarah Dyer and Jon Taylor; and many others whose lives she touched.
The family asks for privacy at this time as they mourn Marcia’s passing and celebrate her extraordinary life and legacy.
