Anton Furst
Anton Furst | |
|---|---|
| Born | Anthony Francis Furst 6 May 1944 |
| Died | 24 November 1991(aged 47) |
| Alma mater | Royal College of Art |
| Occupation | Production designer |
| Years active | 1974–1990 |
| Spouses |
|
| Partner | Beverly D'Angelo1991 |
| Parent(s) | Pamela and Ivor Furst |
| Awards | Academy Award for Best Art DirectionforBatman(1989) |
Anthony Francis "Anton" Furst(6 May 1944 – 24 November 1991) was an Englishproduction designerwho won anAcademy Awardfor overseeing design ofGotham Cityand the Batmobile inTim Burton'sBatman(1989).[1][2]
Life and career
[edit]Furst was born inLondon,Englandand trained at theRoyal College of Art,London.[3]
He designed two award-winning television films,Just One KidandIt's a Lovely Day Tomorrow,for director/producerJohn Goldschmidt.Furst also worker as a special effects technician onAlien.Paul Mayersbergintroduced him to aNigel Phelps,whom Furst quickly hired after seeing his portfolio. Phelps would become Furst's primary draftsman that he would verbally dictate to, after the initial drawing was completed Furst would add only details and accents on occasion.[4]The debut of this partnership was forNeil Jordan'sThe Company of Wolves(1984), thecharcoal illustrationsof the sets caught the attention ofStanley Kubrickand a youngTim Burton.Kubrick hired Furst's company to create convincingVietnam Warsettings, without leaving England, forFull Metal Jacket(1987). Burton tried to convince Furst to work onBeetlejuiceat this time, but decided to doHigh Spiritsinstead, which was being shot in England. In 1990,Jon Petersconvinced Furst to sign an exclusive contract withColumbia Pictures,promising him work as a director. Furst's directorial debut was to beMidKnight,a medieval musical fantasy starringMichael Jackson,but after extensive design work and planning the film never materialised. Furst's Columbia contract also prevented him and his employees from working onBatman Returns(1992). His final credited film wasAwakenings(1990).[1]
Death
[edit]Furst killed himself on 24 November 1991. He had separated from his wife and begun takingHalcion,a sleeping drug that had been banned in Britain due to its possible side effects of amnesia, paranoia and depression. His drinking also became more of a problem.[5]He was scheduled to check into rehab in 1992. On the night of November 24, 1991, he told his friends he was going to the car to fetch his cigarettes. Instead, he jumped off an eight-storey building.[6]
He was survived by a daughter, Vanessa King; a son, Nicholas Sergei Furst; his mother, Pamela Furst; and a sister, Jane Wearne.[1]
References
[edit]- ^abcAnton Furst, 47, Dies; Designer of 'Batman',The New York Times,November 26, 1991
- ^"The 62nd Academy Awards (1990) Nominees and Winners".oscars.org.Archivedfrom the original on 6 July 2011.Retrieved31 July2011.
- ^"Anton Furst, 47, the Set Designer For 'Batman' and 'Awakenings'",The New York Times,November 27, 1991. Retrieved 2012-11-16.
- ^Ettedgui, Peter (1999).Production Design and Art Direction (Screencraft Series).ISBN0240804007.Published in 1999, Focal Press
- ^When hell burst through the pavement and grew: Anton Furst conjured up Batman's Gotham City. In England he was a creator of dreams. But in Hollywood his dreams ended. Simon Garfield reports
- ^"GlennShadix.com - The Clock Series - Anton Furst".Archived fromthe originalon 24 December 2013.Retrieved1 October2013.
External links
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