Richard Sylbert


Richard Sylbert was an American production designer and art director, primarily for feature films.

Early life

Sylbert was born in Brooklyn, New York, to Samuel and Lily Sylbert, and was the twin brother of Oscar-winning production designer Paul Sylbert. Richard fought in the Korean War and attended the Tyler School of Art at Temple University in Elkins Park, Pennsylvania. His grandfather, Ribac, was a journalist in his native Romania before immigrating to the United States. Sylbert began his career in the early days of television, designing productions of Hamlet and Richard II for the Hallmark Hall of Fame.
Sylbert's first film credit was Patterns, a big screen adaptation of an Emmy Award-winning teleplay by Rod Serling. He went on to design Baby Doll, A Face in the Crowd, The Fugitive Kind, Murder, Inc., Splendor in the Grass, Walk on the Wild Side, Long Day's Journey into Night, The Manchurian Candidate, The Pawnbroker, Lilith, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, The Graduate, Rosemary's Baby, Catch-22, Carnal Knowledge, Chinatown, Shampoo, Reds, Frances, The Cotton Club, Tequila Sunrise, Dick Tracy, The Bonfire of the Vanities, Carlito's Way, Mulholland Falls, My Best Friend's Wedding, and Trapped. He worked multiple times with directors Roman Polanski, Elia Kazan, Mike Nichols, and Warren Beatty.
Robert Evans named Sylbert his successor when he relinquished his position as production chief at Paramount Pictures in 1975. Sylbert oversaw The Bad News Bears, Nashville, and Days of Heaven before being replaced in 1978.
Sylbert was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Art Direction six times and won twice, for Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? and Dick Tracy. He won the BAFTA Award for Best Production Design for Dick Tracy. He was nominated for an Emmy for his production design of the set for the long-running television sit-com Cheers. In 2000 Sylbert was honored with the Art Directors Guild Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2002 Sylbert was to have received the Hollywood Film Festival's Life Achievement Award. His widow gave the committee permission to name the award after him in perpetuity and that year it was given to Harold Michelson, his longtime art director and colleague.
Sylbert died of cancer at the age of 73 at the Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital in Woodland Hills, California. At the time of his death, Sylbert was married to Native American poet Sharmagne Leland-St. John, mother of one of his daughters, Daisy Alexandra Sylbert-Torres, a costume designer and Echo Park boutique owner. He had three sons Douglas, Jon and Mark, by his first wife, Carol Godshalk, and another daughter, Lulu, by writer/actress/production and costume Designer Susanna Moore.

Film and television credits

This is the not-entirely complete table of credits that can be sorted by date, title or type of credit.
YearTitleCredit typeNotes
1953HamletProduction designerHallmark Hall of Fame telefeature
1954King Richard IIProduction designerHallmark Hall of Fame telefeature
1956Baby DollArt director
1960Murder, Inc.Production designer
1961Splendor in the GrassProduction designer
1961Young Doctors, TheProduction designer
1961Connection, TheProduction designer
1962Manchurian Candidate, TheProduction designer
1962Long Day's Journey Into NightProduction designer
1962Walk on the Wild SideProduction designer
1963All the Way HomeProduction designer
1963East Side/West SideProduction designer
1964LilithProduction designer
1964Pawnbroker, TheProduction designer
1965How to Murder Your WifeProduction designer
1966Grand PrixProduction designer
1966Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?Production designerAcademy Award for Best Art Direction shared with George James Hopkins
1967Graduate, TheProduction designer
1968Rosemary's BabyProduction designer
1969The April FoolsProduction designer
1970Catch-22Production designer
1971Carnal KnowledgeProduction designer
1972Fat CityProduction designer
1973The Day of the DolphinProduction designer
1974ChinatownProduction designerAcademy Award nominee
1975The FortuneProduction designer
1975Last Hours Before MorningProduction designerTV movie
1975ShampooProduction designerAcademy Award nominee
1976PartnersProduction designerCanadian feature. He was also credited for 1982 film of same title.
1979PlayersProduction designer
1981RedsProduction designerAcademy Award nominee for Art Direction-Set Decoration; co-nominee Michael Seirton
1982PartnersProduction designer
1982FrancesProduction designer
1982CheersProduction designer
1983BreathlessProduction designer
1984The Cotton ClubProduction designerAcademy Award nominee
1986Under the Cherry MoonProduction designer
1987"Heartbeat" Production designerDirected by John Nicolella; stars Don Johnson
1988Tequila SunriseProduction designer
1988Shoot to KillProduction designer
1990Dick TracyProduction designerAcademy Award for Best Art Direction shared with set decorator Rick Simpson
1990The Bonfire of the VanitiesProduction designer
1991MobstersProduction designer
1993Carlito's WayProduction designer
1993Ruby CairoProduction designer
1996Blood and WineProduction designer
1996Mulholland FallsProduction designer
1997My Best Friend's WeddingProduction designer
1997Red CornerProduction designer
2002Unconditional LoveProduction designer
2002TrappedProduction designer