Paul Sylbert

{{Infobox person | name = Paul Sylbert | image = Publicity_Photo_of_Paul_Sylbert.jpg | caption = Publicity Photo of Paul Sylbert | birth_date = {{Birth date|1928|04|16}} | birth_place = [[Brooklyn]], [[New York (state)|New York]], U.S. | death_date = {{Death date and age|2016|11|19|1928|04|16}} | death_place = [[Jenkintown, Pennsylvania]], U.S. | occupation = Production designer, art director, set designer | years_active = 1951–2008 | relatives = [[Richard Sylbert]] (twin brother) | spouse = {{Plainlist| * [[Anthea Sylbert]] (divorced) * Jeannette D'Ambrosio Sylbert (his death)<ref name="Grimes2016"/> }} }}

'''Paul Sylbert''' (April 16, 1928 – November 19, 2016) was an American [[Academy Awards|Academy Award]]-winning [[production designer]], [[Art director#In film|art director]], and [[set designer]] who [[Television director|directed]] on occasion.

Born in [[Brooklyn]], [[New York (state)|New York]], the son of a dressmaker, Sylbert grew up in the borough's [[Flatbush, Brooklyn|Flatbush]] neighborhood and graduated from [[Erasmus Hall High School]] in 1946.<ref name="Grimes2016"/> 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 Sylbert|Richard]].<ref name="VH1"/> Early in their careers, they collaborated on ''[[Baby Doll]]'' and ''[[A Face in the Crowd (film)|A Face in the Crowd]]''.<ref name="FilmReference.com"/> 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.<ref name="Barnes2016"/><ref name="Grimes2016"/>

==Filmography== === Television (as designer) ===

* ''[[The Big Story (radio and TV series)|The Big Story]] ''(1951) * ''[[The Home Show]] ''(1954) * ''The Ira Hayes Story'' * ''John Brown'' (1960) * ''Songs for Sale'' * ''[[The Goldbergs (broadcast series)|Molly Goldberg]]'' * ''[[Ford Theatre|Ford Theater]]'' * ''Danger'' * ''[[Suspense (American TV series)|Suspense]]'' * ''[[Studio One (American TV series)|Studio One]]''

===Feature films (as designer)=== *''[[Roogie's Bump]]'' (1954) *''[[Baby Doll]]'' (1956) *''[[The Wrong Man]]'' (1956) *''[[A Face in the Crowd (film)|A Face in the Crowd]]'' (1957) *''[[Country Music Holiday]]'' (1958) *''[[The Teenage Millionaire]]'' (1961) *''Without Each Other'' (1962) *''[[The Tiger Makes Out]]'' (1967) *''The Riot'' (1969) *''[[Bad Company (1972 film)|Bad Company]]'' (1972) *''[[The Drowning Pool (film)|The Drowning Pool]]'' (1975) *''[[One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (film)|One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest]]'' (1975) *''[[Mikey and Nicky]]'' (1976) *''[[Heaven Can Wait (1978 film)|Heaven Can Wait]]'' (1978) *''[[Hardcore (1979 film)|Hardcore]]'' (1979) *''[[Kramer vs. Kramer]]'' (1979) *''[[Resurrection (1980 film)|Resurrection]]'' (1980) *''[[Wolfen (film)|Wolfen]]'' (1981) *''[[Blow Out]]'' (1981) *''[[Without a Trace (1983 film)|Without a Trace]]'' (1983) *''[[Gorky Park (film)|Gorky Park]]'' (1983) *''[[Firstborn (1984 film)|Firstborn]]'' (1984) *''[[The Journey of Natty Gann]]'' (1985) *''[[Ishtar (film)|Ishtar]] ''(1987) *''[[Nadine (1987 film)|Nadine]]'' (1987) *''[[The Pick-up Artist (film)|The Pick-up Artist]]'' (1987) *''[[Biloxi Blues (film)|Biloxi Blues]]'' (1988) *''[[Fresh Horses (film)|Fresh Horses]]'' (1988) *''[[Career Opportunities (film)|Career Opportunities]]'' (1989) *''[[Rush (1991 film)|Rush]]'' (1991) *''[[The Prince of Tides]]'' (1991) *''[[Sliver (film)|Sliver]] ''(1992) *''[[Milk Money (film)|Milk Money]]'' (1994) *''[[Free Willy 2]]'' (1995) *''[[The Grass Harp (film)|The Grass Harp]]'' (1995) *''[[Rosewood (film)|Rosewood]]'' (1997) *''[[Conspiracy Theory (film)|Conspiracy Theory]]'' (1997) *''[[To End All Wars]]'' (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 (1961 TV series)|''The Defenders'']] (1963) * [[The Nurses (TV series)|''The Nurses'']] (1963) * ''[[Mr. Broadway (TV series)|Mr. Broadway]]'' (1964) * [[The Reporter (TV series)|''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]]'' - Avco-Embassy Pictures, Inc. (1971)

===Writer - film=== * ''[[The Steagle]]'' - Avco-Embassy Pictures, Inc. (1971) * ''[[Nighthawks (1981 film)|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 film)|''Heaven Can Wait'']] (1978) * Academy Award Nominee - ''[[The Prince of Tides]]'' (1992) * Lifetime Achievement Award - Art Directors Guild (2009)

==References== <references> <ref name="Barnes2016">{{cite web |author=Mike Barnes |title=Paul Sylbert, Oscar-Winning Production Designer on 'Heaven Can Wait,' Dies at 88 |date=2016-11-23 |website=HollywoodReporter.com |url=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/paul-sylbert-dead-heaven-can-wait-production-designer-dies-at-88-950392 |access-date=2022-10-26}}</ref>

<ref name="FilmReference.com">{{cite web |url=http://www.filmreference.com/film/31/Paul-Sylbert.html |title=Paul Sylbert |website=FilmReference.com}}</ref>

<ref name="Grimes2016">{{cite news |author=William Grimes |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/25/movies/paul-sylbert-dead-oscar-winner-heaven-can-wait.html |title=Paul Sylbert, Oscar-Winner Who Gave Movies Their Look, Dies at 88 |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |date=2016-11-25 |access-date=2016-11-29 |quote=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.}}</ref>

<ref name="VH1">[https://web.archive.org/web/20090719211531/http://www.vh1.com/movies/person/100470/bio.jhtml Richard Sylbert bio at VH1.com]</ref> </references>

==External links== * {{IMDb name|843128}} * [https://web.archive.org/web/20111004215755/http://sct.temple.edu/web/fma/about/adjunct-faculty/#paulsylbert/ Paul Sylbert Temple University] * [https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2206&dat=19600819&id=0o4yAAAAIBAJ&sjid=vekFAAAAIBAJ&pg=5200,2848237/ The Miami News August 19, 1960]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sylbert, Paul}} [[Category:1928 births]] [[Category:2016 deaths]] [[Category:American television directors]] [[Category:American male screenwriters]] [[Category:Best Production Design Academy Award winners]] [[Category:People from Flatbush, Brooklyn]] [[Category:American production designers]] [[Category:Temple University faculty]] [[Category:American art directors]] [[Category:American identical twins]] [[Category:Identical twin males]] [[Category:Erasmus Hall High School alumni]] [[Category:Film directors from New York City]] [[Category:Screenwriters from New York (state)]] [[Category:Screenwriters from Pennsylvania]]