Paul Sylbert

Paul Sylbert
Publicity Photo of Paul Sylbert
Born(1928-04-16)April 16, 1928
Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
DiedNovember 19, 2016(2016-11-19) (aged 88)
Jenkintown, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Occupation(s)Production designer, art director, set designer
Years active1951–2008
Spouses
RelativesRichard Sylbert (twin brother)

Paul Sylbert (April 16, 1928 – November 19, 2016) was an American Academy Award-winning production designer, art director, and set designer who directed on occasion.

Born in Brooklyn, New York, the son of a dressmaker, Sylbert grew up in the borough's Flatbush neighborhood and graduated from Erasmus Hall High School in 1946.[1] He fought in the Korean War and attended the Tyler School of Art at Temple University in Elkins Park, Pennsylvania with his identical twin brother Richard.[2] Early in their careers, they collaborated on Baby Doll and A Face in the Crowd.[3] Sylbert also attended the Hans Hoffman School of Art and The Actors Studio. He is a veteran of the United States Army and served in Korea. Sylbert was a member of the faculty at the Film and Media Arts department of Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where he taught courses in film studies. He also taught a course called Film: The Creative Process at Temple University in the Spring of 2014.

Sylbert died on November 19, 2016, at the age of 88.[4][1]

Filmography

Television (as designer)

Feature films (as designer)

Stage (as designer)

  • Susannah (1957)
  • Tale for a Deaf Ear (1958)
  • Street Scene (1958)
  • The Crucible (1959)
  • Carmina Buranna (1960)
  • Oedipus Rex (1960)
  • Festival of Two Worlds, Spoletto, Italy: The Angel of Fire (1959), Lulu (1974)
  • The Agon of Gross - Off-Broadway (1952)
  • The Making of Moo - Off-Broadway (1956)
  • The Four Poster - Theatron Kentrikon, Athens, Greece (1957)
  • Two For The Seesaw- Theatron Kentrikon, Athens, Greece (1958)
  • The Miracle Worker - Theatron Dionysus, Athens, Greece (1961)
  • Night of the Iguana - Coconut Grove Playhouse (1961)
  • The Duchess of Malfi - The Mark Taper Forum (1974)

Stage direction

  • Oedipus Rex, New York City Opera Company (1960)
  • The Four Poster - Theatron Kentrikon, Athens, Greece (1957)
  • Two for the Seesaw - Theatron Kentrikon, Athens, Greece (1958)
  • The Miracle Worker - Theatron Dionysus, Athens, Greece (1961)

Television direction

Commercial direction

  • Over 50 spots including Clairol, Dash, Burma Shave, Belvedere Cigarettes, Belmont Park, etc.
  • TV Graphics and Group Productions (1965–1968)

Industrial direction

  • General Electric (1966)
  • New York Telephone Co. (1967)

Feature film direction

  • Instant Love - Herbert Richards Productions, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (1963)
  • The Steagle - Avco-Embassy Pictures, Inc. (1971)

Writer - film

Writer - books

  • Final Cut - The making and breaking of a film, Seasbury Press/Continuum Books (1974)
  • 100 Ways to Beat the Blues (contributor), Tanya Tucker, Simon & Schuster (2003)
  • Cows: A rumination (contributor), Carl Hileman, Emmis Books (2004)

Awards

References

  1. ^ a b c William Grimes (2016-11-25). "Paul Sylbert, Oscar-Winner Who Gave Movies Their Look, Dies at 88". The New York Times. Retrieved 2016-11-29. Paul Sylbert was born on April 16, 1928, in Brooklyn, and grew up in the Flatbush neighborhood.... After graduating from Erasmus Hall High School in 1946, he served in the same Army unit in Korea as his brother.
  2. ^ Richard Sylbert bio at VH1.com
  3. ^ "Paul Sylbert". FilmReference.com.
  4. ^ Mike Barnes (2016-11-23). "Paul Sylbert, Oscar-Winning Production Designer on 'Heaven Can Wait,' Dies at 88". HollywoodReporter.com. Retrieved 2022-10-26.