Academy Award winner Roger Christian has had an extensive film career.
He won an Academy Award for set decoration on director George Lucas's
Star Wars: Episode IV - Eine neue Hoffnung (1977), which began a long collaboration between the filmmakers.
Christian subsequently worked with Lucas on Star Wars: Episode VI - Die Rückkehr der Jedi-Ritter (1983) and was hand-picked
by Lucas to direct the second unit on the recent Star Wars: Episode I - Die dunkle Bedrohung (1999). It was
through Lucas that Christian got his first opportunity to direct a
film, the short feature entitled Ángel Negro (2000), which accompanied the UK
release of Star Wars: Episode V - Das Imperium schlägt zurück (1980). Christian followed "Black Angel" with another
short, The Dollar Bottom (1981), which won the 1981 Academy Award for Best Live Action
Short Film. He followed that success with the thriller Paranormal - Im Bann der Aliens (1998), which
received much critical acclaim and a nomination for Best Film by the
Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films.
His directing credits include the 1994 Orion Pictures release _Nostradamus (1994/I)_,
starring Julia Ormond and F. Murray Abraham, the HBO premiere movie The final Cut - Tödliches Risiko (1995), Underworld (1996)
starring Annabella Sciorra and Masterminds - Das Duell (1997) starring Patrick Stewart. Christian has also
directed numerous high profile commercials, including worldwide
campaigns for SEGA, Taco Bell, Jeep, Lancia, Fiat and Chrysler/Dodge,
among others. Christian's work as an art director and production
designer was highly regarded. He was nominated for an Academy Award for
his art direction on Ridley Scott's Alien: Das unheimliche Wesen aus einer fremden Welt (1979). His other art direction credits
include Das Leben des Brian (1979), Ken Russell's Mahler (1974) and Peter Hall's Akenfield (1974). Roger also
directed Battlefield Earth - Kampf um die Erde (2000), with John Travolta and Forest Whitaker.
Roger Christian 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. The same character was also portrayed by Antonio
Banderas in Desperado (a remake of El Mariachi). In Bandidos, Carlos
Gallardo reprises the starring role as the most infamous thief in
Mexico.
