Gloria Katz (October 25, 1942 – November 25, 2018) was an American

screenwriter A screenplay writer (also called screenwriter, scriptwriter, scribe or scenarist) is a writer who practices the craft of screenwriting, writing screenplays on which mass media, such as films, television programs and video games, are based. ...

and

film producer A film producer is a person who oversees film production. Either employed by a production company or working independently, producers plan and coordinate various aspects of film production, such as selecting the script, coordinating writing, di ...

, best known for her association with

George Lucas George Walton Lucas Jr. (born May 14, 1944) is an American filmmaker. Lucas is best known for creating the '' Star Wars'' and '' Indiana Jones'' franchises and founding Lucasfilm, LucasArts, Industrial Light & Magic and THX. He served as c ...

. Along with her husband Willard Huyck, Katz created the screenplays of films including ''

American Graffiti ''American Graffiti'' is a 1973 American coming-of-age comedy-drama film directed by George Lucas, produced by Francis Ford Coppola, written by Willard Huyck, Gloria Katz and Lucas, and starring Richard Dreyfuss, Ron Howard (billed as Ronny ...

'', ''

Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom ''Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom'' is a 1984 American action- adventure film directed by Steven Spielberg. It is the second installment in the ''Indiana Jones'' franchise, and a prequel to the 1981 film '' Raiders of the Lost Ark'', ...

'' and ''

Howard the Duck Howard the Duck is a fictional Character (arts), character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by writer Steve Gerber and artist Val Mayerik. Howard the Duck first appeared in ''Adventure into F ...

''. Katz was of Jewish descent. Though uncredited, Katz and Huyck edited Lucas's ''

Star Wars ''Star Wars'' is an American epic space opera multimedia franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the eponymous 1977 film and quickly became a worldwide pop-culture phenomenon. The franchise has been expanded into various film ...

'' script as they acted as script doctors for Lucas. Katz and Huyck are responsible for much of the humor and development of the iconic Princess Leia in the ''Star Wars'' script.

Death

Katz died from

ovarian cancer Ovarian cancer is a cancerous tumor of an ovary. It may originate from the ovary itself or more commonly from communicating nearby structures such as fallopian tubes or the inner lining of the abdomen. The ovary is made up of three different ...

in 2018 at the age of 76, in her native Los Angeles.

Filmography

Film

Other credits

Television

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Katz, Gloria 1942 births 2018 deaths 20th-century American Jews 20th-century American screenwriters 20th-century American women writers 21st-century American Jews 21st-century American women Film producers from California Screenwriters from California Jewish American screenwriters American women screenwriters People from Los Angeles American women film producers Deaths from ovarian cancer Deaths from cancer in California