Paul Sylbert
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Paul Sylbert (born April 16, 1928) is an American Academy Award-winning production designer, art director, and set designer who directed on occasion.
Born in Brooklyn, New York, Sylbert 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 [1]. Early in their careers, they collaborated on Baby Doll and A Face in the Crowd [2].
Sylbert's additional design credits include The Wrong Man, The Tiger Makes Out, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, The Drowning Pool, Heaven Can Wait, Kramer vs. Kramer, Wolfen, Blow Out, Gorky Park, The Pope of Greenwich Village, Ishtar, Biloxi Blues, Fresh Horses, The Prince of Tides, Free Willy 2: The Adventure Home, The Grass Harp, Rosewood, Conspiracy Theory, and To End All Wars.
Sylbert's one foray into writing and directing for feature films was The Steagle (1971) starring Richard Benjamin. (The screenplay for the 1981 film Nighthawks was adapted from a story he wrote.) He directed episodes of the television series The Defenders, The Nurses, and The Reporter.
Sylbert's lone theatre credit is a 1990 revival of the Elmer Rice play Street Scene at the New York State Theatre in Lincoln Center [3].
Sylbert won the Academy Award for Best Art Direction for Heaven Can Wait and was nominated for The Prince of Tides.
Sylbert is divorced from costume designer Anthea Sylbert; the couple has one child.
