Roger Christian is a renowned film industry professional with a multifaceted career spanning over four decades. He initially gained recognition for his exceptional work in set decoration, winning an Academy Award for his contribution to George Lucas's Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977).
Christian's collaboration with Lucas continued, as he worked on Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983) and was hand-picked by Lucas to direct the second unit on Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999). This long-standing relationship also led to Christian's first opportunity to direct a film, the short feature Ángel Negro (2000),which accompanied the UK release of Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980).
Following the success of "Black Angel," Christian directed another short film, The Dollar Bottom (1981),which won the 1981 Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film. He then went on to direct the thriller The Sender (1998),which received critical acclaim and a nomination for Best Film by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films.
Christian's directing credits include a wide range of films, such as Nostradamus (1994/I),starring Julia Ormond and F. Murray Abraham, The Final Cut (1995),Underworld (1996),starring Annabella Sciorra, and Masterminds (1997),starring Patrick Stewart. He has also directed numerous high-profile commercials, including campaigns for SEGA, Taco Bell, Jeep, Lancia, Fiat, and Chrysler/Dodge, among others.
As an art director and production designer, Christian's work was highly regarded, earning him a nomination for an Academy Award for his art direction on Ridley Scott's Alien (1979). His other notable art direction credits include Monty Python's Life of Brian (1979),Ken Russell's Mahler (1974),and Peter Hall's Akenfield (1974).
In addition to his film work, Christian directed Battlefield Earth (2000),starring John Travolta and Forest Whitaker. He recently wrapped production on Bandido (2004),starring Angie Everhart, for Fries Film Group. Written by Carlos Gallardo, who also wrote El Mariachi, Bandidos continues the saga of the stylish Mexican thief who remains nameless, a character previously portrayed by Antonio Banderas in Desperado (a remake of El Mariachi).
