Alexander Golitzen
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Alexander Golitzen, (Moscow, February 28, 1908 - San Diego, July 26, 2005) oversaw art direction on more than 300 movies.
Alexander Golitzen was born in Moscow, but fled the country with his family during the Russian Revolution. Travelling via Siberia and China, they arrived in Seattle, where Alexander graduated from high school. He then attended the University of Washington, where he achieved a degree in architecture.
He started his art direction career in Los Angeles, as an assistant to Alexander Toluboff, an art director for MGM. He started working with Walter Wanger (a producer) in 1939 and they worked together for many movies. Starting in 1942, and continuing for the next 30 years, he became a unit art director, and later a supervising art director at Universal, overseeing dozens of productions.
Alexander Golitzen earned an Oscar nomination for Foreign Correspondent (1940), and received an Oscar (shared with John B. Goodman) for Phantom in 1943.
He was nominated for an Academy Award for his work on Sundown (1941), Arabian Nights (1942), The Climax (1944), Flower Drum Song (1961), That Touch of Mink (1962), Gambit (1966), Thoroughly Modern Millie (1967), Sweet Charity (1969), Airport (1970), and Earthquake (1974).
Alexander was married for 72 years to Frances, who survived him. They had a daughter Chyntia, a son Peter, five grandchildren and a great-granddaughter.
