William S. Darling | |
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| Born | Vilmos Béla Sándorházi (1882-09-14)14 September 1882 Sándorháza,Transylvania,Kingdom of Hungary,Austro-Hungarian Empire (present-day, since 1920Șandra, Romania) |
| Died | 15 December 1963(1963-12-15) (aged 81) Laguna Beach, California, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Art director, painter |
| Years active | 1921–1954 |
William S. Darling (bornVilmos Béla Sándorházi; 14 September 1882 – 15 December 1963)[1] was a Hungarian-Americanart director who was prominent in Hollywood during the 1920s and 30s.[2] Darling received sixAcademy Award nominations, winning three times. He was inducted into the AmericanArt Directors Guild (ADG) Hall of Fame in 2012. According to the ADG, Darling was one of the "most influential designers in the early days ofHollywood's Golden Age."[2]
Darling was bornVilmos Béla Sándorházi (also Adalbert Sandorhazi)[3] inSándorháza,Austria-Hungary. He initially studied architecture because of his father's wishes, but later switched to theBudapest Academy of Fine Arts where he studied painting.[1] He continued his studies on scholarship at theEcole des Beaux Arts inParis, France.[2]
In 1910, Darling immigrated toNew York City using the name Adalbert Sandorhazi.[3] He successfully pursued a career as a portrait artist. He changed his name from Sándorházi to Darling duringWorld War I when his wife suggested he adopt her maiden name to avoid the foreign sound.[1] Around 1920 he moved to Southern California where he began work as an art designer on films and soon became the head of the art department at20th Century Fox. Darling worked on 61 films between 1921 and 1954. His notable work includes theJohn Ford-directed filmsThe Iron Horse (1924),Judge Priest (1934) andThe Prisoner of Shark Island (1936); the Academy Award-winning film adaptation of theNoël Coward's playCavalcade (1933); andThe Rains Came (1939) withTyrone Power andMyrna Loy.
Darling was nominated six times between 1934 and 1947 in the categoryBest Art Direction.[4] He won the Oscar forCavalcade,The Song of Bernadette (1943) andAnna and the King of Siam (1946).[5]
Darling was a fellow of theAmerican Academy of the Fine Arts.[1] In 2012, the American Art Director's Guild inducted Darling into its Hall of Fame.[2]
Darling was first married in Hungary and had two children, William and Imre. On 2 February 1915, he married Gwendolin Darling inNew York City. They remarried on 19 November 1937 in Phoenix, Arizona. Gwendolin died in April 1955 inPalm Springs, California. In 1957, Darling married the portrait artist Marjory Adams.[1] They lived inLaguna Beach, California where he was a noted member of the art community and a life member of the Laguna Beach Art Association.[1] He died on 15 December 1963 at his home inLaguna Beach, California.[1]
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