(Original Caption) This is a head and shoulders photograph of author Joseph Campbell, (1904-1987), the elected member of the National Institute of Arts and Letters. This is an undated photograph.
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Joseph Campbell: Author, Mythologist, Hollywood Guru

The Hero With a Thousand Faces and Hero’s Journey are two of Campbell’s best-known books on the psychology and arc of the story.

George Lucas became fascinated with Campbell’s work, following the PBS series in 1987, color:black;mso-themecolor:text1’> Lucas has spoken fondly of the influence of Campbell’s Hero’s Journey on his Star Wars trilogy and the two men became friends late in Campbell’s life. They even sat and watch the trilogy together at his Skywalker Ranch in Northern California. ItRobert Redford said, “George Miller said “color:black;mso-themecolor:text1’> Actress Alyssa Milano, who became a powerful figure in the #MeToo movement quoted Campbell on Twitter: “A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself.” normal’>Pandorum, Dennis Quaid said “myth to me points to some sort of greater truth through symbol. And just like Joseph Campbell had his hand on the mythology of Star Wars, the same is true for Pandorum.” Will Smith was promoting color:black;mso-themecolor:text1’>I think with movies I am really connecting to the Joseph Campbell idea of the collective unconscious.”

Martin Scorsese: “I remember listening to Joseph Campbell talking about the idea of My Brother’s Keeper and the idea of being made up of molecules and atoms – where do mine really end and yours begin?”Sylvester Stallone has spoken of his fascination with Campbell’s Rambo.Robert Downey Jr. credit Campbell’s influence on them in the writing and making of Iron Man.

Barbra Streisand lamented that she never had the chance to study with him. Oprah Winfrey, Viggo Mortensen, Steven Spielberg, Paulo Coelho, Michael Jackson, and Stanley Kubrick are among many, many other creative people who credit Campbell’s influence on their thinking and work.Michelle Williams: “I was watching this conversation that Joseph Campbell was having and he said something to the effect of that there are three types of things to talk about: The types of things that you can talk about; the kinds of things that you can’t aptly describe, but you try to talk about; then there’s the things that you actually talk about.”

color:black;mso-themecolor:text1’> follow your bliss you put yourself on a kind of track that has been there all the while, waiting for you, and the life that you ought to be living is the one you are living. Follow your bliss and don’t be afraid, and doors will open where you didn’t know they were going to be.”