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Willy Holt

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Willy Holt

Born November 30, 1921 in Quincy, Florida, USADied June 22, 200730 films

Willy Holt (30 November 1921 – 22 June 2007) was an American production designer, art director and actor who lived in France for many years. He was nominated for an Academy Award in the category Best Art Direction for the film Is Paris Burning?, and won a César Award for Best Production Design for Au revoir, les enfants.

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Willy Holt was born in Quincy, Florida, in 1921, the son of an American military photographer and his French wife. After his parents divorced his mother returned with him to her home country, where he was naturalised as a French citizen in 1923. He graduated with a baccalauréat from the Lycée Fermat in Toulouse during the early years of the Occupation.

Holt was married for four years to the actress Micheline Bourday, subsequently marrying the actress Martine Pascal in 1958. He and Pascal had two children.

Holt was a member of the French Resistance and was arrested at Grenoble railway station in December 1943 while transferring money on behalf of anti-Nazi Resistance fighters. He was interned at Auschwitz, via the Drancy internment camp. He survived the death march from Auschwitz to Buchenwald, where he was one of those liberated on 13 April 1945. Holt wrote about his wartime experiences in his 1995 book Femmes en deuil sur camion.

After briefly working as a fashion designer, Holt was hired to work in television in 1946. His set designs for several television shows led to further work in cinema, initially as an art director.

As befitted his Franco-American origins, Holt worked on several productions in both countries, collaborating with a number of internationally renowned film directors such as John Frankenheimer, Stanley Donen, Otto Preminger, Robert Parrish, Fred Zinnemann, Bertrand Blier, Woody Allen, Michael Ritchie, Louis Malle and Roman Polanski.

Source: Article "Willy Holt" from Wikipedia in English, licensed under CC-BY-SA 3.0.

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The best way into Willy Holt's work
Au Revoir les Enfants posterFirst watchAu Revoir les Enfants19877.5Au revoir les enfants tells a heartbreaking story of friendship and devastating loss concerning two boys living in Nazi-occupied France.View film

Essential films

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Santa Claus Is a Stinker poster7.3Santa Claus Is a Stinker1982Love and Death poster7.4Love and Death1975The Day of the Jackal poster7.5The Day of the Jackal1973Bitter Moon poster7.1Bitter Moon1992The Train poster7.6The Train1964Two for the Road poster7.0Two for the Road1967Is Paris Burning? poster7.2Is Paris Burning?1966Julia poster6.5Julia1977

Filmography

30 films
  1. 1996My ManProduction Design
  2. 1993The Thirst for GoldProduction Design
  3. 1992Bitter MoonProduction Design
  4. 1990May FoolsProduction Design
  5. 1987Au Revoir les EnfantsProduction Design
  6. 1986A State of EmergencyProduction Design
  7. 1985TargetProduction Design
  8. 1985Les enragésProduction Design
  9. 1983A Friend of VincentProduction Design
  10. 1983The RuffianProduction Design
  11. 1982Five Days One SummerProduction Design
  12. 1982Santa Claus Is a StinkerProduction Design
  13. 1981A Business of MenProduction Design
  14. 1981Une robe noire pour un tueurSet Designer
  15. 1979The Other One's MugProduction Design
  16. 1979An Almost Perfect AffairArt Direction
  17. 1977JuliaProduction Design
  18. 1975The GypsyProduction Design
  19. 1975Love and DeathArt Direction
  20. 1974The Marseille ContractProduction Design
  21. 1974The Down-in-the-Hole GangProduction Design
  22. 1973The Day of the JackalSet Designer
  23. 1972The AnnuityProduction Design
  24. 1970The Lady in the Car with Glasses and a GunArt Direction
  25. 1969StaircaseArt Direction
  26. 1968The SergeantProduction Design
  27. 1967Two for the RoadArt Direction
  28. 1966Is Paris Burning?Production Design
  29. 1964The TrainProduction Design
  30. 1954Le Petit PoucetConcept Artist