Joseph Mielziner (March 19, 1901 – March 15, 1976) was an American theatricalscenic, andlighting designer born in Paris, France. He was described as "the most successful set designer of the Golden era of Broadway", and worked on both stage plays and musicals.[1]
Joseph Mielziner was the son of artistLeo Mielziner and Ella Lane McKenna Friend, a writer. Mielziner was the brother of actor-directorKenneth MacKenna. Their paternal grandfather,Moses Mielziner, was arabbi.[2] He studied painting at theArt Students League and thePennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts.[3] His brother recruited him as a stage manager for summer stock, where Mielziner discovered his passion for scenic design. With fellowships he received from the Pennsylvania Academy, he had the opportunity to study set design in Paris, Vienna, and Berlin. Additionally, he served as an apprentice toRobert Edmond Jones, designer ofEugene O'Neill'sDesire Under The Elms.[4]
Mielziner was considered one of the most influential theatre designers of the 20th century,[5] designing the scenery and often the lighting for more than 200 productions, many of which became American classics. He "pioneered 'selective realism' in scenic design".[6] According to his obituary, he was perhaps "praised most often...for his sweeping canvas of people under the Brooklyn Bridge, used as a backdrop for Maxwell Anderson'sWinterset.[2]
Mielziner resided for many years atThe Dakota[15] and can be seen working in his studio in an exterior shot in the filmRosemary's Baby.
He died on March 15, 1976, in a New Yorktaxicab, four days before his 75th birthday. Mielziner was rushing between meetings forThe Baker's Wife, a musical for which he was designing.[2][4]
He was married three times, all of which were tumultuous, though only two ended in divorce. Mielziner's first wife,Marya Mannes, a literary critic he married in 1926, was unfaithful to him. Annie Laurie Jacques, an actress and Mielziner's second wife, whom he married in 1932, had substance abuse problems. Though, as a Roman Catholic, Mielziner could not divorce his third wife, actress Jean MacIntyre, their relationship ended due to Mielziner's relationship with Sheen's private secretary.
Mielziner and MacIntyre married in 1938, and had long since separated at the time of death in 1976, despite remaining legally married.[11]
Mielziner's scenic designs for the original production ofArthur Miller'sDeath of a Salesman were re-created for the 2012Broadwayrevival starringPhilip Seymour Hoffman,Andrew Garfield andLinda Emond. DirectorMike Nichols said he felt he needed Mielziner's original set because it was "intimately connected with the way the play developed." He went on to say he has never seen anything "near as good in any of the productions of 'Salesman' because it's everything and nothing."[16]
