Donald M. Ashton

{{Short description|English art director (1919–2004)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=May 2025}} {{Infobox person | image = | name = Donald M. Ashton | birth_date = {{Birth date|1919|6|26|df=yes}} | birth_place = [[Edmonton, London]], England | death_date = {{Death date and age|2004|8|25|1919|6|26|df=yes}} | death_place = [[Somerset]], England | occupation = Art director | years_active = 1947–1972 }}

'''Donald M. Ashton''' (26 June 1919 – 25 August 2004) was an [[Academy Awards|Academy Award]]-nominated and [[BAFTA]]-winning English [[art director]] most noted for his work on such films as ''[[Billy Budd (film)|Billy Budd]]'' (1962), ''[[The Bridge on the River Kwai]]'' (1957), ''[[Oh! What a Lovely War]]'' (1969) and ''[[Young Winston]]'' (1972).

==Background== Born Donald Martin Ashton in Edmonton, London, in 1917, Ashton was the son of a wine buyer. He was educated at Boxlane School, Palmers Green. After training as an [[architect]], on the outbreak of the [[Second World War]] he joined the R.A.F., serving in the Middle and Far East. During the latter part of the war he was posted to Ceylon, where he served with [[Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma|Lord Louis Mountbatten]]'s unit. He joined the film industry in 1947 at the suggestion of actor and playwright, [[Emlyn Williams]].<ref>''The Independent Obituaries'' 30 September 2004</ref> His first job was working as an uncredited [[Drawing|draughtsman]] for the [[Boulting brothers]] on their film ''[[Brighton Rock (1947 film)|Brighton Rock]]''. The film starred [[Richard Attenborough]], who was to employ Ashton many years later to design two of the films he directed. During the 1950s and 1970s Ashton acquired a reputation as one of the best production designers in the business with such works as ''[[The Bridge on the River Kwai]]''<ref>{{cite web|url=http://deepfocusreview.com/reviews/bridgeontheriverkwai.asp |title=Deep Focus Review - the Definitives - the Bridge on the River Kwai (1957) |access-date=23 January 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110709005845/http://deepfocusreview.com/reviews/bridgeontheriverkwai.asp |archive-date=9 July 2011 }}</ref> and ''[[Young Winston]]''. For this, his last film with Attenborough,<ref name="IMDb.com">{{Cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0039202/awards |title=IMDb.com: Donald M. Ashton – Awards |access-date=28 December 2008|publisher=IMDb}}</ref> Ashton was nominated for an [[Academy Awards|Academy Award]] in the category for [[Academy Award for Best Production Design|Best Art Direction]].

==Second career== In the early 1970s [[Harry Saltzman]], the producer of the [[James Bond (film series)|James Bond films]], was so taken with Ashton's sets that he asked him to redesign the interior of his house. It was the beginning of a new chapter in Ashton's career as a designer of hotels and restaurants, particularly in Asia. His most famous is the magnificent five-star [[Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong|Mandarin Oriental Hotel]] in Hong Kong, regarded as one of the most elegant hotels in the world. This work resulted in Ashton receiving commissions to design more [[Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group|Mandarin hotels]] and many of the [[Sheraton Hotels and Resorts|Sheraton hotels]] being built around the world. The projects made Ashton a wealthy man, allowing him to purchase homes in [[Mayfair]] and Amersham, [[Buckinghamshire]]. He lived in Hong Kong for 20 years.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/1470662/Don-Ashton.html | location=London | work=The Daily Telegraph | title=Don Ashton | date=1 September 2004}}</ref>

==Selected filmography== * ''[[The Bridge on the River Kwai]]'' (1957) * ''[[Billy Budd (film)|Billy Budd]]'' (1962)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://chaplin.bfi.org.uk/resources/bfi/filmog/film.php?fid=59406|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080215202639/http://chaplin.bfi.org.uk/resources/bfi/filmog/film.php?fid=59406|url-status=dead|archive-date=15 February 2008|title=BFI – Features – Charlie Chaplin – Chaplin resources|access-date=21 February 2016}}</ref> * ''[[Bunny Lake is Missing]]'' (1965) * ''[[A Countess from Hong Kong]]'' (1967) * ''[[The Bobo]]'' (1967) * ''[[Oh! What a Lovely War]]'' (1969) * ''[[Tam-Lin (film)|Tam Lin]]'' (1970) * ''[[Young Winston]]'' (1972)

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== *{{IMDb name|0039202|Donald M. Ashton}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ashton, Donald M.}} [[Category:1919 births]] [[Category:2004 deaths]] [[Category:Best Production Design BAFTA Award winners]] [[Category:Deaths from Parkinson's disease in England]] [[Category:English art directors]] [[Category:People from Edmonton, London]]