John Alvin, Designer of Memorable Film Posters, Is Dead at 59

John Alvin, who created memorable images for movie posters, billboards and advertisements, including the two fingers touching above the Earth’s surface for “E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial,” died on Wednesday at his home in Rhinebeck, N.Y. He was 59.
For “Blade Runner” in 1982, he used a large composite of Harrison Ford’s face over a futuristic city.

The cause was a heart attack, his daughter, Farah Alvin, said.

Mr. Alvin painted striking images for more than 135 films in a 35-year career, working on projects for directors like Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, Blake Edwards, Mel Brooks and Ridley Scott.