Tony Dyson oversaw the reconstruction of R2-D2 for the movie The Empire Strikes Back. Brian Johnson, who was the main special effects supervisor, hired Dyson to develop several updated iterations of the droid. These revisions were based on the original Star Wars design, which itself stemmed from concept artwork by Ralph McQuarrie and physical designs by John Stears.
Dyson also contributed to the special effects seen in the movies Superman II, Moonraker, Dragonslayer, Altered States, and Saturn 3.
On March 4, 2016, Dyson passed away at his residence in Gozo, a Maltese island, at the age of 68.