Campaign designer worked on 135 movies

Movie poster artist John Alvin died Feb. 6 of a heart attack in Rhinebeck, N.Y. He was 59. 

A leading film campaign designer who created posters for more than 135 movies, his career began in 1974 with the poster for Mel Brook’s “Blazing Saddles.”

Most recently, he contributed design ideas for the campaign for Disney’s “Enchanted.” 

As a child, Alvin said he eagerly anticipated the arrival of the Sunday paper so that he could peruse the ads for the new movies. His interests led him to attend the Art Center College of Design, which he graduated in the early 1970s. 

 He went on to work on several other films by Brooks including “Young Frankenstein.” He also created posters for Ridley Scott’s “Blade Runner,” Steven Spielberg’s “E.T.-The Extra-Terrestrial” and Blake Edward’s “Victor/Victoria.” 

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In recent years, he continued to work on campaigns for series including Star Wars, Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings and Pirates of the Caribbean.

He is survived by his wife, Andrea, and daughter, Farah, an actress.

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