Paul Sylbert (April 16, 1928 – November 19, 2016) was an American

Academy Award The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...

-winning

production designer In film and television, a production designer is the individual responsible for the overall aesthetic of the story. The production design gives the viewers a sense of the time period, the plot location, and character actions and feelings. Work ...

art director Art director is a title for a variety of similar job functions in theater, advertising, marketing, publishing, fashion, live-action and animated film and television, the Internet, and video games. It is the charge of a sole art director to supe ...

, and

set designer Scenic design, also known as stage design or set design, is the creation of scenery for theatrical productions including plays and musicals. The term can also be applied to film and television productions, where it may be referred to as prod ...

who

directed Direct may refer to: Mathematics * Directed set, in order theory * Direct limit of (pre), sheaves * Direct sum of modules, a construction in abstract algebra which combines several vector spaces Computing * Direct access (disambiguation), a ...

on occasion. Born in

Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

, the son of a dressmaker, Sylbert grew up in the borough's

Flatbush Flatbush is a neighborhood in the New York City Borough (New York City), borough of Brooklyn. The neighborhood consists of several subsections in central Brooklyn and is generally bounded by Prospect Park (Brooklyn), Prospect Park to the nort ...

neighborhood and graduated from

Erasmus Hall High School Erasmus Hall High School was a four-year public high school located at 899–925 Flatbush Avenue between Church and Snyder Avenues in the Flatbush, Brooklyn, Flatbush neighborhood of the New York City borough (New York City), borough of Brookly ...

in 1946. He fought in the

Korean War The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea; ROK) and their allies. North Korea was s ...

and attended the

Tyler School of Art The Tyler School of Art and Architecture is part of Temple University, a large, urban, public research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Tyler currently enrolls about 1,350 undergraduate students and about 200 graduate st ...

Temple University Temple University (Temple or TU) is a public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related research university in Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. It was founded in 1884 by the Baptist ministe ...

Elkins Park, Pennsylvania Elkins Park is an unincorporated community in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is split between Cheltenham and Abington Townships in the northern suburbs outside of Philadelphia, which it borders along Cheltenham Avenue roug ...

with his identical twin brother

Richard Richard is a male given name. It originates, via Old French, from compound of the words descending from Proto-Germanic language">Proto-Germanic ''*rīk-'' 'ruler, leader, king' and ''*hardu-'' 'strong, brave, hardy', and it therefore means 'st ...

. Early in their careers, they collaborated on ''

Baby Doll ''Baby Doll'' is a 1956 American black comedy film directed by Elia Kazan and starring Carroll Baker, Karl Malden and Eli Wallach. It was produced by Kazan and Tennessee Williams, and adapted by Williams from two of his own one-act plays: '' 2 ...

'' and '' A Face in the Crowd''. 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

in the Spring of 2014. Sylbert died on November 19, 2016, at the age of 88.

Filmography

Television (as designer)

* '' The Big Story ''(1951) * '' The Home Show ''(1954) * ''The Ira Hayes Story'' * ''John Brown'' (1960) * ''Songs for Sale'' * '' Molly Goldberg'' * '' Ford Theater'' * ''Danger'' * ''

Suspense Suspense is a state of anxiety or excitement caused by mysteriousness, uncertainty, doubt, or undecidedness. In a narrative work, suspense is the audience's excited anticipation about the plot or conflict (which may be heightened by a viol ...

'' * '' Studio One''

Feature films (as designer)

*'' Roogie's Bump'' (1954) *''

'' (1956) *''

The Wrong Man ''The Wrong Man'' is a 1956 American docudrama film noir directed by Alfred Hitchcock and starring Henry Fonda and Vera Miles. The film was drawn from the true story of an innocent man charged with a crime, as described in the book ''The True S ...

'' (1956) *'' A Face in the Crowd'' (1957) *''

Country Music Holiday ''Country Music Holiday'' is a 1958 American musical film directed by Alvin Ganzer and written by Harry Spalding. The film stars Ferlin Husky, Zsa Zsa Gabor, Rocky Graziano, Faron Young, Al Fisher, Lou Marks and June Carter Cash. The film was rel ...

'' (1958) *'' The Teenage Millionaire'' (1961) *''Without Each Other'' (1962) *''

The Tiger Makes Out ''The Tiger Makes Out'' is a 1967 American black comedy film directed by Arthur Hiller, and starring Eli Wallach and his wife Anne Jackson. The plot concerns a kidnapper and his unintended victim. It marked Dustin Hoffman's film debut. Plot Ben ...

'' (1967) *''The Riot'' (1969) *''

Bad Company Bad Company were an English rock supergroup formed in London in 1973 by singer Paul Rodgers and drummer Simon Kirke (both ex- Free), guitarist Mick Ralphs (ex- Mott the Hoople) and bassist Boz Burrell (ex-King Crimson). Kirke was the only m ...

'' (1972) *''

The Drowning Pool ''The Drowning Pool'' is a 1950 mystery novel by American writer Ross Macdonald, then writing under the name John Ross Macdonald (and simply John Macdonald in the UK). It is his second book in the series revolving around the cases of private de ...

'' (1975) *''

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest may refer to: * ''One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest'' (novel), a 1962 novel by Ken Kesey * ''One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest'' (play), a 1963 stage adaptation of the novel starring Kirk Douglas * ''One Flew Over the ...

'' (1975) *''

Mikey and Nicky ''Mikey and Nicky'' is a 1976 American crime drama film written and directed by Elaine May. It stars John Cassavetes as a desperate small-time mobster and Peter Falk as his longtime friend. The supporting cast features Ned Beatty, Carol Grace, ...

'' (1976) *'' Heaven Can Wait'' (1978) *''

Hardcore Hardcore, hard core or hard-core may refer to: Arts and media Film * ''Hardcore'' (1977 film), a British comedy film * ''Hardcore'' (1979 film), an American crime drama film starring George C Scott * ''Hardcore'' (2001 film), a British documen ...

'' (1979) *''

Kramer vs. Kramer ''Kramer vs. Kramer'' is a 1979 American legal drama film written and directed by Robert Benton, based on Avery Corman's 1977 novel. The film stars Dustin Hoffman, Meryl Streep, Justin Henry and Jane Alexander. It tells the story of a couple ...

'' (1979) *''

Resurrection Resurrection or anastasis is the concept of coming back to life after death. Reincarnation is a similar process hypothesized by other religions involving the same person or deity returning to another body. The disappearance of a body is anothe ...

'' (1980) *'' Wolfen'' (1981) *''

Blow Out ''Blow Out'' is a 1981 American independent mystery thriller film written and directed by Brian De Palma. The film stars John Travolta as Jack Terry, a movie sound effects technician from Philadelphia who, while recording sounds for a low-bud ...

'' (1981) *''

Without a Trace ''Without a Trace'' is an American police procedural drama television series created by Hank Steinberg that aired on CBS from September 26, 2002, to May 19, 2009 with the total of seven seasons and 160 episodes. The series focuses the cases of ...

'' (1983) *'' Gorky Park'' (1983) *''

Firstborn A firstborn (also known as an eldest child or sometimes firstling) is the first child born to in the birth order of a couple through childbirth. Historically, the role of the firstborn child has been socially significant, particularly for a first ...

'' (1984) *''

The Journey of Natty Gann ''The Journey of Natty Gann'' is a 1985 American adventure film directed by Jeremy Paul Kagan, produced by Walt Disney Pictures and released by Buena Vista Distribution. The film introduced Meredith Salenger and also starred John Cusack, Lainie ...

'' (1985) *''

Ishtar Inanna is the List of Mesopotamian deities, ancient Mesopotamian goddess of war, love, and fertility. She is also associated with political power, divine law, sensuality, and procreation. Originally worshipped in Sumer, she was known by the Akk ...

''(1987) *'' Nadine'' (1987) *'' The Pick-up Artist'' (1987) *''

Biloxi Blues ''Biloxi Blues'' is a semi-autobiographical play by Neil Simon. It portrays the conflict of Sergeant Merwin J. Toomey and Arnold Epstein, one of many privates enlisted in the military stationed in Biloxi, Mississippi, seen through the eyes of E ...

'' (1988) *'' Fresh Horses'' (1988) *'' Career Opportunities'' (1989) *'' Rush'' (1991) *''

The Prince of Tides ''The Prince of Tides'' is a 1991 American romantic drama film directed and co-produced by Barbra Streisand, from a screenplay written by Pat Conroy and Becky Johnston, based on Conroy's 1986 novel. It stars Streisand and Nick Nolte. It tell ...

'' (1991) *'' Sliver ''(1992) *'' Milk Money'' (1994) *''

Free Willy 2 ''Free Willy 2: The Adventure Home'' (also known as ''Free Willy 2'') is a 1995 American Family film, family Adventure film, adventure Drama (film and television), drama film directed by Dwight H. Little, Dwight Little from a screenplay by Karen J ...

'' (1995) *''

The Grass Harp ''The Grass Harp'' is a novel by Truman Capote published on October 1, 1951.Clarke, Gerald. ''Capote: A Biography'' (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1988), page 224. It tells the story of an orphaned boy and two elderly ladies who observe life from ...

'' (1995) *''

Rosewood Rosewood is any of a number of richly hued hardwoods, often brownish with darker veining, but found in other colours. It is hard, tough, strong, and dense. True rosewoods come from trees of the genus '' Dalbergia'', but other woods are often ca ...

'' (1997) *''

Conspiracy Theory A conspiracy theory is an explanation for an event or situation that asserts the existence of a conspiracy (generally by powerful sinister groups, often political in motivation), when other explanations are more probable.Additional sources: * ...

'' (1997) *''

To End All Wars ''To End All Wars'' is a 2001 war film starring Robert Carlyle, Kiefer Sutherland and Sakae Kimura and was directed by David L. Cunningham. The film is based on '' Through the Valley of the Kwai'', an autobiography of Ernest Gordon, then a Scot ...

'' (2001)

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

* ''The Defenders'' (1963) * ''The Nurses'' (1963) * '' Mr. Broadway'' (1964) * ''The Reporter'' (1964)

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 ''The Steagle'' is a 1971 American comedy film based on the novel of the same name by Irvin Faust. The film was directed by Paul Sylbert and starred Richard Benjamin. The film concerns the personality change which overcomes the protagonist during ...

'' - Avco-Embassy Pictures, Inc. (1971)

Writer - film

* ''

'' - Avco-Embassy Pictures, Inc. (1971) * '' Nighthawks -'' Universal Studios (1981)

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

* Academy Award - ''Heaven Can Wait'' (1978) * Academy Award Nominee - ''

'' (1992) * Lifetime Achievement Award - Art Directors Guild (2009)

References

Richard Sylbert bio at VH1.com
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External links

*
Paul Sylbert Temple University

The Miami News August 19, 1960
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sylbert, Paul 1928 births 2016 deaths American television directors American male screenwriters Best Art Direction Academy Award winners People from Flatbush, Brooklyn American production designers Temple University faculty American art directors American identical twins Identical twin males Erasmus Hall High School alumni Film directors from New York City Screenwriters from New York (state) Screenwriters from Pennsylvania