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Lyle Wheeler | |
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| Born | (1905-02-02)February 2, 1905 Woburn, Massachusetts, United States |
| Died | January 10, 1990(1990-01-10) (aged 84) |
| Occupation | Art director |
| Years active | 1936–1978 |
| Employer | 20th Century Fox (1944-1960) |
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Lyle Reynolds Wheeler (February 2, 1905 – January 10, 1990) was an Americanmotion pictureart director. He received five Academy Awards — forGone with the Wind (1939),Anna and the King of Siam (1946),The Robe (1953),The King and I (1956) andThe Diary of Anne Frank (1959).
Lyle Wheeler studied at theUniversity of Southern California, then worked as a magazine artist and industrial designer. In 1936, he was hired byDavid O. Selznick to work as a set designer for Selznick's motion picture production company. Wheeler proved able to design quality sets at reasonable costs and was very much in demand in the industry. By the end ofWorld War II, Wheeler had joined20th Century Fox, where he remained as chief art director until the end of the 1950s.
In a career spanning 40 years, Wheeler created sets for more than 350 motion pictures, many of which are considered film classics. His credits includeA Star Is Born,A Tree Grows in Brooklyn,State Fair,The Dolly Sisters,Forever Amber,The Fan,The Pride of St. Louis,Titanic,The Seven Year Itch, andCarousel and in particular,Gone With the Wind, for which he drew some of the earliest examples of storyboards for film, illustrating not only the art design, but the framing, composition and even the color for nearly every shot in the film, greatly influencing the production. He also created matte paintings for all the ceilings for the sets as well as large set pieces like the facade ofTara. He was nominated for theAcademy Award for Best Production Design 29 times, winning five. In 1951, he was nominated for four different films, three in 1952 and twice for two films in one year.
His television credits include the long-running CBS series,Perry Mason.[1]
Late in life, Wheeler suffered financial reverses and was forced to sell his home. He lost his fiveAcademy Award statuettes when he was unable to pay a bill in excess of $30,000 at a storage facility. His 1959 Oscar forThe Diary of Anne Frank was purchased and returned to Wheeler in 1989 by a fan.[1][2]
Lyle Wheeler died on January 10, 1990, at theMotion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital, of pneumonia.[3] He was cremated, and his ashes stored in the vault at theChapel of the Pines Crematory inLos Angeles.
The art direction of Lyle Wheeler was often recognized by theAcademy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.[4]
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