Q FM Africa's Modern Radio
Bill Gold, one of Hollywood’s best-known creators of film posters, has died aged 97.
The veteran illustrator had a hand in more than 2,000 posters, including those for Casablanca, Dial M for Murder, and Dirty Harry.
Mr Gold began work at the film production company Warner Brothers in the 1940s.
His task was to create artwork that didn’t give away a film’s storyline.
The poster for Casablanca, a 1942 World War Two romantic drama, was one of Mr Gold’s first assignments.
His design became iconic.
Mr Gold also designed the poster for Alfred Hitchcock’s thriller Dial M for Murder.
This was his poster for Elia Kazan’s adaption of John Steinbeck’s novel East of Eden.
The film retells the story of Cain and Abel through the lives of two brothers who sought the attention of their religious father.
Mr Gold also conjured up the poster for the renowned Martin Scorsese film GoodFellas.
Bill Gold was a frequent collaborator with Clint Eastwood. He worked with the actor and director on dozens of films.
The poster used for the 1971 film Dirty Harry was said to illustrate the actor’s gritty persona.
Although Mr Gold officially retired in 2003, he continued to design posters from his Connecticut home.
His last poster was for the 2011 Eastwood biopic J. Edgar, about the long-serving FBI director J Edgar Hoover.
Mr Gold’s design used a picture of Leonardo DiCaprio’s angry face as a likeness of Mr Hoover.
BBC