Joseph Mielziner was an American theatrical scenic, and lighting designer born in Paris, France.
15 Facts About Jo Mielziner
1.
2.
Jo Mielziner was described as "the most successful set designer of the Golden era of Broadway", and worked on both stage plays and musicals.
3.
Joseph Jo Mielziner was the son of artist Leo Jo Mielziner and Ella Lane McKenna Friend, a writer.
4.
Jo Mielziner studied painting at the Art Students League and the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts.
5.
Jo Mielziner's brother recruited him as a stage manager for summer stock, where Mielziner discovered his passion for scenic design.
6.
Jo Mielziner was considered one of the most influential theatre designers of the 20th century, designing the scenery and often the lighting for more than 200 productions, many of which became American classics.
7.
Jo Mielziner won the Academy Award for best color art direction for his work on Picnic.
8.
Jo Mielziner won the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Set Design.
9.
Jo Mielziner was acquainted with the American artist Edward Hopper, who is said to have modeled his well-known painting Early Sunday Morning after Mielziner's set for Elmer Rice's play Street Scene, produced in 1929.
10.
Jo Mielziner designed the theater at Wake Forest University and co-designed the Vivian Beaumont Theater at Lincoln Center with architect Eero Saarinen.
11.
Jo Mielziner designed the setting for the Vatican Pavilion's showing of Michelangelo's Pieta at the 1964 New York World's Fair.
12.
Jo Mielziner resided for many years at The Dakota and can be seen working in his studio in an exterior shot in the film Rosemary's Baby.
13.
Jo Mielziner died on March 15,1976, in a New York taxicab, four days before his 75th birthday.
14.
Jo Mielziner was rushing between meetings for The Baker's Wife, a musical for which he was designing.
15.
Jo Mielziner was married three times, all of which were tumultuous, though only two ended in divorce.