| Birth name | Χριστόφορος Αχιλλέως Christos Achilléos |
|---|---|
| Birth date | 26 August 1947 |
| Birth place | Famagusta, British Cyprus |
| Death date | 6 December 2021 (aged 74) |
| Death place | Bridgwater, Somerset, UK |
| Field | Fantasy art, illustration |
| Education | Hornsey College of Art |
Christos "Chris" Achilléos (26 August 1947 – 6 December 2021) was a Cypriot-born British painter and illustrator who specialised in fantasy artwork and glamour illustration.[1][2]
Early life and education
Christos Achilléos was born on 26 August 1947 in Famagusta, British Cyprus to a Greek Cypriot family.[1][3] In 1959, Achilléos' family emigrated to the United Kingdom and settled in London.[3] Achilléos studied Hornsey College of Art.[3][4]
Career
His work has appeared in Heavy Metal and Radio Times magazines, on book covers (including series based on the Conan the Barbarian character, TV's Doctor Who[5] and Star Trek,[6] as well as the Fighting Fantasy gamebook series),[7] and in collections of his own work. He has also participated in various film projects including Heavy Metal and Willow as a conceptual artist,[5] (his iconic poster image commissioned in 1980 featuring Taarna and her birdlike steed are still featured on the DVD release)[8] and created a proposed poster for Blade Runner.[9]
Achilléos created the controversial cover for Whitesnake's 1979 album, Lovehunter, which showed a naked woman straddling a giant serpent. In an interview with MelodicRock, Gary Hughes stated that Achilléos thereafter "had a policy of not working with bands".[10] The original artwork, along with several other pieces, were stolen from him in the 1980s and sold to a private collector.[11] However, he designed an album cover and artwork in 2003 with Gary Hughes' rock opera Once and Future King Part I.[12] His influence was also felt in the Kate Bush video for "Babooshka", in which the character's costume resembles the cover portrait he did of the heroine of the 1978 novel Raven - Swordsmistress of Chaos.[13][14]
Following 1990, he mostly worked in designing fantasy trading cards as well as selling prints and original works of art.[4]
Chris Achilléos died on 6 December 2021, at the age of 74.[1][15][16]
Collections
Achilléos had published several book collections, including:[citation needed]
See also
References
- ^ "Christos Achilleos [death index]". England and Wales, Death Index, 1989–2025 [database on-line]. Lehi, Utah: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc. 2021.
- ^ "Achilleos, Chris, 1947– Αχιλλέως, Χριστόφορος, 1947–". Library of Congress Name Authority File. Washington, D.C.: The Library of Congress. 4 August 2025. Retrieved 9 March 2026.
- ^ Zaphyr, John (2004). "About (Biography from “Amazona”)". House of Achilléos. Archived 31 May 2024 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 9 March 2025.
- ^ "SFE: Achilleos, Chris"
- ^ "Artist Showcase - Chris Achilleos". Archived from the original on 2015-05-11. Retrieved 2015-06-05.
- ^ "Chris Achilleos". scifiscarborough.co.uk. Archived 2020-12-06 at the Wayback Machine.
- ^ "GUEST BLOG Fighting Fantasy Fest 2014". 16 June 2014.
- ^ "HEAVY METAL 1980". Archived from the original on June 19, 2018. Retrieved June 19, 2018.
- ^ "Original Artwork of Unreleased Blade Runner Poster Project by Chris Achilleos". Retrieved June 19, 2018.
- ^ "Interviews: Gary Hughes - Once And Future King". Melodicrock.com. Archived from the original on 2018-09-28. Retrieved 2010-10-31.
He had a bad experience after his Lovehunter cover and for years he has had a policy of not working with bands anymore.
- ^ "Entrevista". Chris Achilleos. Archived from the original on 2015-11-23. Retrieved 2014-12-26.
- ^ "MelodicRock.com Interviews: Gary Hughes - Once And Future King". Archived from the original on 2018-09-28. Retrieved 2007-06-19.
- ^ "The Connection Between Kate Bush And Sexy Sword And Sorcery Novels". The Reprobate. August 3, 2016. Retrieved June 19, 2018.
- ^ "Polska Strona Kate Bush". www.katebush.pl. Retrieved June 19, 2018.
Artistic concepts and choreography throughout by Kate Bush Babooshka costume based on an illustration by Chris Achilleos and released by Pamela Keats.
- ^ Marcus (December 9, 2021). "Chris Achilléos 1947-2021". Retrieved December 27, 2021.
- ^ "Chris Achilleos (1947-2021)". Locus Online. December 13, 2021. Retrieved December 27, 2021.