---
name: "Boris Leven"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/boris-leven"
fi1m_id: "boris-leven"
imdb_id: "nm0505227"
tmdb_id: 874
wikidata_id: "Q893712"
roles: ["Production designer"]
born: "13 August 1908"
died: "11 October 1986"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 9
average_fi1m_score: 78
average_over: 9
updated: "2026-10-04T19:49:37.932615+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Boris Leven

## Identity

Boris Leven

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/boris-leven
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** boris-leven
- **IMDb ID:** nm0505227
- **TMDB ID:** 874
- **Wikidata ID:** Q893712
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boris_Leven, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q893712, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0505227/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/874

Production designer. Born 13 August 1908 in Moscow, Russia. Died 11 October 1986.

## Details

- **Work:** Production designer
- **Born:** 13 August 1908, Moscow, Russia
- **Died:** 11 October 1986
- **Active:** 1938–1986
- **Frequently works with:** [Robert Wise](https://film.one/person/robert-wise.md), [Ernest Lehman](https://film.one/person/ernest-lehman.md), [Martin Scorsese](https://film.one/person/martin-scorsese.md)
- **Academy Awards:** 1 Oscar (1 won · 8 nominated)
- **Fi1m score by decade:** 1930s 70 (1), 1950s 80 (2), 1960s 77 (3), 1980s 80 (3)
- **Fi1m against the critics:** 81 to 73 across 7 titles
- **Score spread:** 5 at 80+, 4 at 60–79, 0 under 60
- **Genres:** Drama 8, Crime 3, Romance 3, Comedy 2, Music 2, Mystery 2
- **Screen time:** 22 hours of reviewed films
- **Box office:** $509m across 9 films with figures
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boris_Leven, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q893712, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0505227/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/874

## Streaming the US now

- **Amazon Prime Video:** [*Anatomy of a Murder*](https://film.one/film/anatomy-of-a-murder.md) (87)
- **Disney+:** [*The Sound of Music*](https://film.one/film/the-sound-of-music.md) (86)
- **Tubi:** [*West Side Story*](https://film.one/film/west-side-story.md) (80)

For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country.

## Biography

Boris Leven (1908–1986) was a Russian-born art director and production designer who worked in Hollywood from the late 1930s until his death. He emigrated to the United States in 1927, studied architecture at the University of Southern California, and received his first screen credit on Alexander's Ragtime Band (1938).

Leven received an Academy Award for Best Art Direction – Set Decoration (Colour) for West Side Story (1961), shared with Victor A. Gangelin, and was nominated for the award on seven other occasions. His production design credits include Giant (1956), Anatomy of a Murder (1959), The Sound of Music (1965), The Andromeda Strain (1971), New York, New York (1977), The King of Comedy (1982), Fletch (1985) and The Color of Money (1986).

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, imdb.com.*

## On Fi1m (9)

- *The Color of Money* (1986), Fi1m 80, Production Design, Production design — [page](https://film.one/film/the-color-of-money.md)
- *Fletch* (1985), Fi1m 71, Production design, Production Design — [page](https://film.one/film/fletch.md)
- *The King of Comedy* (1982), Fi1m 88, Production design, Production Design — [page](https://film.one/film/the-king-of-comedy.md)
- *The Sand Pebbles* (1966), Fi1m 66, Production design, Production Design — [page](https://film.one/film/the-sand-pebbles.md)
- *The Sound of Music* (1965), Fi1m 86, Production Design, Production design — [page](https://film.one/film/the-sound-of-music.md)
- *West Side Story* (1961), Fi1m 80, Production Design, Production design — [page](https://film.one/film/west-side-story.md)
- *Anatomy of a Murder* (1959), Fi1m 87, Production Design, Production design — [page](https://film.one/film/anatomy-of-a-murder.md)
- *Giant* (1956), Fi1m 74, Production design, Production Design — [page](https://film.one/film/giant-1956.md)
- *Alexander's Ragtime Band* (1938), Fi1m 70, Art Direction — [page](https://film.one/film/alexanders-ragtime-band.md)

## Complete filmography (60)

Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page.

- *The Color of Money* (1986), Production Design — Fi1m 80, [page](https://film.one/film/the-color-of-money.md)
- *Wildcats* (1986), Production Design
- *Fletch* (1985), Production Design — Fi1m 71, [page](https://film.one/film/fletch.md)
- *The King of Comedy* (1982), Production Design — Fi1m 88, [page](https://film.one/film/the-king-of-comedy.md)
- *Return Engagement* (1978), Production Design
- *Matilda* (1978), Production Design
- *The Last Waltz* (1978), Production Design
- *New York, New York* (1977), Production Design
- *Mandingo* (1975), Production Design
- *Reflections of Murder* (1974), Production Design
- *Shanks* (1974), Production Design
- *Double Solitaire* (1974), as Art Direction
- *Jonathan Livingston Seagull* (1973), Production Design
- *Happy Birthday, Wanda June* (1971), Production Design
- *The Andromeda Strain* (1971), Production Design
- *Star!* (1968), Production Design
- *The Sand Pebbles* (1966), Production Design — Fi1m 66, [page](https://film.one/film/the-sand-pebbles.md)
- *The Sound of Music* (1965), Production Design — Fi1m 86, [page](https://film.one/film/the-sound-of-music.md)
- *Strait-Jacket* (1964), Production Design
- *Two for the Seesaw* (1962), Production Design
- *West Side Story* (1961), Production Design — Fi1m 80, [page](https://film.one/film/west-side-story.md)
- *September Storm* (1960), as Art Direction
- *Anatomy of a Murder* (1959), Production Design — Fi1m 87, [page](https://film.one/film/anatomy-of-a-murder.md)
- *Thunder in the Sun* (1959), Production Designer
- *Zero Hour!* (1957), Production Design
- *My Gun Is Quick* (1957), Production Design
- *Giant* (1956), Production Design — Fi1m 74, [page](https://film.one/film/giant-1956.md)
- *The Silver Chalice* (1954), as Art Direction
- *The Long Wait* (1954), as Art Direction
- *Donovan's Brain* (1953), Production Design
- *Invaders from Mars* (1953), as Art Direction
- *The Star* (1952), Set Designer
- *Battles of Chief Pontiac* (1952), as Art Direction
- *Sudden Fear* (1952), as Art Direction
- *The Prowler* (1951), as Art Direction
- *Experiment Alcatraz* (1950), as Art Direction
- *Woman on the Run* (1950), as Art Direction
- *The Second Woman* (1950), Production Design
- *Destination Murder* (1950), as Art Direction
- *The Jackie Robinson Story* (1950), Production Design
- *House by the River* (1950), as Art Direction
- *Dakota Lil* (1950), Art Department Manager
- *The Lovable Cheat* (1949), as Art Direction
- *Search for Danger* (1949), as Art Direction
- *Criss Cross* (1949), as Art Direction
- *Mr. Peabody and the Mermaid* (1948), as Art Direction
- *I Wonder Who's Kissing Her Now* (1947), as Art Direction
- *The Shocking Miss Pilgrim* (1947), as Art Direction
- *Home Sweet Homicide* (1946), as Art Direction
- *Shock* (1946), as Art Direction
- *Doll Face* (1945), as Art Direction
- *Life Begins at Eight-Thirty* (1942), as Art Direction
- *Tales of Manhattan* (1942), as Art Direction
- *The Shanghai Gesture* (1941), as Art Direction
- *Second Chorus* (1941), as Art Direction
- *The Flying Deuces* (1939), as Art Direction
- *Everybody's Baby* (1939), as Art Direction
- *Just Around the Corner* (1938), as Art Direction
- *Down on the Farm* (1938), as Art Direction
- *Alexander's Ragtime Band* (1938), as Art Direction — Fi1m 70, [page](https://film.one/film/alexanders-ragtime-band.md)

## Awards

### Academy Awards — 1 won, 8 nominated

- 1987: Best Production Design (nominated), for *The Color of Money*
- 1972: Best Production Design (nominated), for *The Andromeda Strain*
- 1969: Best Production Design (nominated), for *Star!*
- 1967: Best Art Direction, Color (nominated), for *The Sand Pebbles*
- 1966: Best Art Direction, Color (nominated), for *The Sound of Music*
- 1962: Best Art Direction, Color (won), for *West Side Story*
- 1957: Best Art Direction, Color (nominated), for *Giant*
- 1943: Best Art Direction, Black and White (nominated), for *The Shanghai Gesture*
- 1939: Best Production Design (nominated), for *Alexander's Ragtime Band*

*From Wikidata, which records wins more completely than nominations.*

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/boris-leven