Art
Dan Perri
EN, NO, CN, FR cinema · 254 credits
Born
11 August 1945 (age 81)
Birthplace
New York City, New York, U.S.
Also known as Daniel Richard Perri
Daniel Richard Perri (born August 11, 1945) is an American film and television title sequence designer. He has worked in film title design since the 1970s, and has been responsible for the main titles of several notable films including The Exorcist (1973), Taxi Driver (1976), Star Wars (1977), Raging Bull (1980), Airplane! (1980), and Suspiria (2018). Perri made contact with the film graphics designer Saul Bass and began to pester him for work at his studio on Sunset Boulevard. Eventually, Perri found work with Bass through his illustrator, Art Goodman. During his service in the US Navy, Perri served on the USS Repose and designed an on-board newspaper, entitled The Repose Reprise. After serving in the Navy, Perri went to work with Cinefx alongside Phill Norman, Wayne Fitzgerald Don Record, and a former school friend, Steve Smith. After a year, both Perri and Smith quit and went on to form their independent design studio, Perri & Smith. The pair worked together from 1969 to 1973, mostly on small, low-budget television features, but their credits also included films such as Electra Glide in Blue and several of Gene Corman's blaxploitation films. The designers were often exploited and clients sometimes failed to pay, and eventually, the business folded. Perri's big break came in 1973 when he was commissioned by Billy Friedkin to produce the main titles for The Exorcist, his first solo project. With a blockbuster film in his portfolio, Perri was now able to attract more work and soon found himself working on high-profile titles. For Nashville (1975), Robert Altman commissioned a main title sequence and a logo to be used in marketing. Perri produced an unusual, kitschy sequence inspired by low-budget K-Tel Records television commercials, complete with a loud, brash voiceover by Johnny Grant. In 1976, Martin Scorsese brought Perri in to design the titles for Taxi Driver. Perri took second unit footage and color-treated the film through a process of film copying and slit-scan, resulting in a highly stylized graphic sequence that evoked the "underbelly" of New York City through lurid colors, glowing neon signs distorted nocturnal images and deep black levels, accompanied by Bernard Herrmann's jazz soundtrack. Possibly Perri's best-known title sequence project came about in 1976 when his friend James Nelson was working on post-production for a new space fantasy film, Star Wars. Nelson recommended Perri to director George Lucas, who invited Perri to Industrial Light & Magic, Lucasfilm's post-production operation at Van Nuys, California. Lucas briefed Perri to take inspiration from old 1930s cinema serials such as Flash Gordon and Buck Rogers that had inspired Lucas to write much of his Star Wars story. After struggling to come up with a concept that Lucas liked, Perri eventually developed a concept for presenting a textual introduction based on the opening credits of the 1939 Cecil B. DeMille film, Union Pacific, in which the credits are shown distorted by a sharp perspective and rolling along a railroad track towards a distant vanishing point. Lucas approved of the idea and Perri produced sketches and prototype mechanical artwork, supported by storyboard artwork drawn by the production artist Alex Tavoularis. This gave birth to the now-familiar opening crawl sequence that appears in the Star Wars films.
Known for
Filmography
The First Five Minutes... The Title Design Legacy of Dan Perri
2026
The First Five Minutes... The Title Design Legacy of Dan Perri
as self, Producer
The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial
Title Designer
Sam Morril: Same Time Tomorrow
Makeup & Hair
Dead for a Dollar
Title Designer
Mosquito State
Title Designer
I'm Your Woman
Title Designer
The Public
Title Designer
Lake of Death
Title Designer
Suspiria
Title Designer
All Saints
Title Designer
First House on the Hill
Title Designer
Internet Famous
Title Designer
Sharkskin
as Waiter, Producer, Director, Screenplay, Title Designer
Pound of Flesh
Title Designer
The Beaver
Title Designer
The Warm-Up Guy
Title Designer
Spread
Title Designer
Spinning Into Butter
Title Designer
In the Valley of Elah
Title Designer
Even Money
Title Designer
The House of Usher
Title Designer
Have Dreams, Will Travel
Title Designer
There Will Be Blood
Main Title Designer
Eight Below
Title Designer
Hoot
Title Designer
Pizza
Title Designer
Santa's Slay
Main Title Designer
Mojave
Title Designer
The Aviator
Title Designer
The Battle of Shaker Heights
Title Designer
Tropix
Title Designer
Sorority Boys
Title Designer
American Gun
Title Designer
Insomnia
Title Designer
Gangs of New York
Title Designer
James Dean
Title Designer
15 Minutes
Title Designer
Speaking of Sex
Title Designer
Bartleby
Title Designer
Luckytown
Title Designer
She's All That
Main Title Designer
She's Alive! Creating 'The Bride of Frankenstein'
Main Title Designer
Monster by Moonlight! The Immortal Saga of 'The Wolf Man'
Main Title Designer
Freak City
Title Designer
The Road to 'Dracula'
Main Title Designer
Varsity Blues
Title Designer
East Is East
Title Designer
In Too Deep
Title Designer
Thick as Thieves
Title Designer
Vendetta
Title Designer
A Night at the Roxbury
Title Designer
54
Title Designer
Sinbad: The Battle of the Dark Knights
Title Designer
A Price Above Rubies
Title Designer
Since You've Been Gone
Title Designer
The Very Thought of You
Title Designer
I Woke Up Early the Day I Died
Title Designer
Gridlock'd
Title Designer
This World, Then the Fireworks
Title Designer
Soul Food
Main Title Designer
Traveller
Title Designer
Cold Around the Heart
Title Designer
Playing God
Title Designer
Love Jones
Title Designer
Tinseltown
Title Designer
Another 9 1/2 Weeks
Title Designer
Freeway
Title Designer
Rainbow
Title Designer
Harvey
Title Designer
Mulholland Falls
Title Designer
Curdled
Title Designer
House Arrest
Title Designer
Species
Title Designer
Dazzle
Title Designer
Picture Bride
Title Designer
Mallrats
Title Designer
Congo
Title Designer
Separate Lives
Title Designer
Color of Night
Title Designer
Safe Passage
Title Designer
Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit
Second Unit Director, Title Designer
Iron Monkey
Title Designer
Mr. Wonderful
Title Designer
Alive
Title Designer
Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story
Title Designer
Traces of Red
Title Designer
Original Intent
Title Designer
The Distinguished Gentleman
Title Designer
Deep Cover
Title Designer
Night and the City
Title Designer
The Player
Title Designer
The Taking of Beverly Hills
Title Designer
Palomino
Title Designer
Prison Stories: Women on the Inside
Title Designer
Guilty by Suspicion
Title Designer
Men Don't Leave
Title Designer
The First Power
Title Designer
Pacific Heights
Title Designer
The Rescuers Down Under
Title Designer
Internal Affairs
Title Designer
Stella
Title Designer
Lord of the Flies
Title Designer
RoboCop 2
Title Designer
Miracle Mile
Title Designer
Field of Dreams
Title Designer
Out Cold
Title Designer
Mystic Pizza
Title Designer
Fresh Horses
Title Designer
A Time of Destiny
Title Designer
Vibes
Title Designer
1969
Title Designer
The Seventh Sign
Title Designer
Everybody's All-American
Title Designer
Bull Durham
Title Designer
The Beat
Title Designer
Midnight Run
Title Designer
Tequila Sunrise
Title Designer
Talk Radio
Title Designer
A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors
Second Unit Director, Title Designer
Leonard Part 6
Title Designer
Chuck Berry: Hail! Hail! Rock 'n' Roll
Title Designer
La Bamba
Title Designer
Raising Arizona
Title Designer
Revenge of the Nerds II: Nerds in Paradise
Title Designer
Wall Street
Title Designer
The Allnighter
Title Designer
In the Mood
Title Designer
Dream Lover
Title Designer
Deadly Friend
Title Designer
Streets of Gold
Title Designer
Platoon
Title Designer
Quiet Cool
Title Designer
The Color of Money
Title Designer
Wise Guys
Title Designer
Willy/Milly
Title Designer
Nine 1/2 Weeks
Title Designer
Quicksilver
Title Designer
Where the River Runs Black
Title Designer
Tough Guys
Title Designer
Compromising Positions
Title Designer
Blood Simple
Title Designer
Beer
Title Designer
Key Exchange
Title Designer
Grace Quigley
Title Designer
White Nights
Title Designer
The Last Dragon
Title Designer
After Hours
Title Designer
Circus
1984
Circus
Title Designer
Beat Street
Title Designer
The Goodbye People
Title Designer
A Nightmare on Elm Street
Title Designer
Against All Odds
Title Designer
Spring Break
Title Designer
Star 80
Title Designer
A Night in Heaven
Title Designer
Curtains
Title Designer
Streamers
Title Designer
White Dog
Title Designer
If You Could See What I Hear
Title Designer
The King of Comedy
Title Designer
An Officer and a Gentleman
Title Designer
Airplane II: The Sequel
Title Designer
The Hand
Title Designer
The Fan
Title Designer
Honky Tonk Freeway
Title Designer
Cutter's Way
Title Designer
Threshold
Title Designer
Blood Beach
Title Designer
The Long Riders
Title Designer
Times Square
Title Designer
Raging Bull
Title Designer
The Idolmaker
Title Designer
My Bodyguard
Title Designer
The Stunt Man
Title Designer
Why Would I Lie?
Title Designer
First Family
Title Designer
Airplane!
Title Designer
American Gigolo
Title Designer
Caddyshack
Title Designer
The Double McGuffin
Title Designer
The Warriors
Title Designer
Dreamer
Title Designer
Players
Title Designer
Americathon
Title Designer
Bloodline
Title Designer
An American Christmas Carol
Title Designer
Norma Rae
Title Designer
Going in Style
Title Designer
Promises in the Dark
Title Designer
Hanover Street
Title Designer
Girlfriends
Main Title Designer, Title Designer
FM
Title Designer
Blue Collar
Title Designer
House Calls
Title Designer
F.I.S.T.
Title Designer
The Betsy
Title Designer
Coming Home
Title Designer
I Wanna Hold Your Hand
Title Designer
The Last Waltz
Title Designer
Stony Island
Title Designer
Days of Heaven
Title Designer
Movie Movie
Title Designer
The Late Show
Title Designer
Capricorn One
Title Designer
Sorcerer
Title Designer
The White Buffalo
Title Designer
Close Encounters of the Third Kind
Title Designer
3 Women
Title Designer
Exorcist II: The Heretic
Title Designer
New York, New York
Title Designer
Star Wars
Title Designer
Taxi Driver
Title Designer
The River Niger
Title Designer
All the President's Men
Title Designer
Marathon Man
Title Designer
Griffin and Phoenix
Title Designer
Paco
Title Designer
Welcome to L.A.
Title Designer
Love Among the Ruins
Title Designer
Mr. Sycamore
Title Designer
Lucky Lady
Title Designer
Lepke
Title Designer
Once Is Not Enough
Title Designer
The Day of the Locust
Title Designer
Nashville
Title Designer
The Hiding Place
Title Designer
The Legend of Bigfoot
Title Designer
Russian Roulette
Title Designer
King Arthur, the Young Warlord
Title Designer
The Four Deuces
Title Designer
Las Vegas Lady
Title Designer
California Split
Title Designer
Flesh Gordon
Title Designer
The Swinging Cheerleaders
Title Designer
Freebie and the Bean
Title Designer
The Exorcist
Title Designer
Electra Glide in Blue
Title Designer
Heavy Traffic
Title Designer
Time to Run
Title Designer
I Escaped from Devil's Island
Title Designer
Fritz the Cat
Title Designer
The Concert for Bangladesh
Title Designer
Hit Man
Title Designer
FTA
Title Designer
Cool Breeze
Title Designer
The Grissom Gang
Title Designer
Plaza Suite
Title Designer
Rio Lobo
Title Designer
The Out-of-Towners
Title Designer