---
name: "James J. Murakami"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/james-j-murakami"
fi1m_id: "james-j-murakami"
imdb_id: "nm0613468"
tmdb_id: 795
wikidata_id: "Q3161177"
roles: ["Art direction"]
born: "4 June 1931"
died: "15 December 2022"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 16
average_fi1m_score: 76
average_over: 16
updated: "2026-10-09T19:23:53.564256+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."
---

# James J. Murakami

## Identity

James J. Murakami

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/james-j-murakami
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** james-j-murakami
- **IMDb ID:** nm0613468
- **TMDB ID:** 795
- **Wikidata ID:** Q3161177
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_J._Murakami, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q3161177, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0613468/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/795

Art direction. Born 4 June 1931 in Sacramento. Died 15 December 2022.

## Details

- **Work:** Art direction
- **Born:** 4 June 1931, Sacramento
- **Died:** 15 December 2022
- **Active:** 1983–2014
- **Also known as:** James Murakami
- **Frequently works with:** [Clint Eastwood](https://film.one/person/clint-eastwood.md), [Robert Lorenz](https://film.one/person/robert-lorenz.md)
- **Academy Awards:** 1 Oscar nomination
- **Fi1m score by decade:** 1980s 74 (5), 1990s 82 (5), 2000s 76 (5), 2010s 58 (1)
- **Fi1m against the critics:** 76 to 74 across 16 titles
- **Score spread:** 7 at 80+, 7 at 60–79, 2 under 60
- **Genres:** Drama 10, Comedy 5, Crime 5, Action 4, Thriller 3, Fantasy 2
- **Screen time:** 31 hours of reviewed films
- **Box office:** $2,479m across 15 films with figures
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_J._Murakami, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q3161177, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0613468/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/795

## Streaming the US now

- **Netflix:** [*American Sniper*](https://film.one/film/american-sniper.md) (58)

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

## Biography

James J. Murakami (4 June 1931 – 15 December 2022) was an American art director and production designer. Born in Sacramento, California, he later studied at the Chouinard Art Institute in Los Angeles.

Murakami worked extensively with director Clint Eastwood. He shared production design duties with Henry Bumstead on *Letters from Iwo Jima* (2006) and took sole credit on several subsequent Eastwood films, including *Gran Torino* (2008), *Changeling* (2008), *Invictus* (2009), *Hereafter* (2010) and *J. Edgar* (2011). His earlier credits include assistant art director roles on *Apocalypse Now* (1979) and set design on *Unforgiven* (1992). He also contributed to *American Sniper* (2014) and *Sully* (2016).

Murakami received an Emmy Award for art direction on the series *Deadwood* and was nominated for an Academy Award for *Changeling*. In 2018 he was honoured with the Art Directors Guild Lifetime Achievement Award.

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

## On Fi1m (16)

- *American Sniper* (2014), Fi1m 58, Production Design, Production design — [page](https://film.one/film/american-sniper.md)
- *Invictus* (2009), Fi1m 61, Production design, Production Design — [page](https://film.one/film/invictus.md)
- *Changeling* (2008), Fi1m 68, Production design, Production Design — [page](https://film.one/film/changeling.md)
- *Gran Torino* (2008), Fi1m 76, Production design, Production Design — [page](https://film.one/film/gran-torino.md)
- *Letters from Iwo Jima* (2006), Fi1m 84, Production design, Production Design — [page](https://film.one/film/letters-from-iwo-jima.md)
- *Deadwood* (2004), Fi1m 91, Art Direction — [page](https://film.one/tv/deadwood.md)
- *The Game* (1997), Fi1m 76, Supervising Art Director — [page](https://film.one/film/the-game.md)
- *Groundhog Day* (1993), Fi1m 88, Assistant Art Director — [page](https://film.one/film/groundhog-day.md)
- *Mrs. Doubtfire* (1993), Fi1m 74, Assistant Art Director — [page](https://film.one/film/mrs-doubtfire.md)
- *True Romance* (1993), Fi1m 82, Art Direction — [page](https://film.one/film/true-romance.md)
- *Unforgiven* (1992), Fi1m 92, Set Designer — [page](https://film.one/film/unforgiven.md)
- *Midnight Run* (1988), Fi1m 88, Art Direction — [page](https://film.one/film/midnight-run.md)
- *Peggy Sue Got Married* (1986), Fi1m 79, Assistant Art Director — [page](https://film.one/film/peggy-sue-got-married.md)
- *Beverly Hills Cop* (1984), Fi1m 55, Art Direction — [page](https://film.one/film/beverly-hills-cop.md)
- *The Natural* (1984), Fi1m 67, Art Direction — [page](https://film.one/film/the-natural.md)
- *WarGames* (1983), Fi1m 82, Art Direction — [page](https://film.one/film/wargames.md)

## Complete filmography (43)

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

- *Sully* (2016), Production Design
- *American Sniper* (2014), Production Design — Fi1m 58, [page](https://film.one/film/american-sniper.md)
- *Jersey Boys* (2014), Production Design
- *Trouble with the Curve* (2012), Production Design
- *J. Edgar* (2011), Production Design
- *Hereafter* (2010), Production Design
- *Invictus* (2009), Production Design — Fi1m 61, [page](https://film.one/film/invictus.md)
- *Gran Torino* (2008), Production Design — Fi1m 76, [page](https://film.one/film/gran-torino.md)
- *Changeling* (2008), Production Design — Fi1m 68, [page](https://film.one/film/changeling.md)
- *Rails & Ties* (2007), Production Design
- *Letters from Iwo Jima* (2006), Production Design — Fi1m 84, [page](https://film.one/film/letters-from-iwo-jima.md)
- *Deadwood* (2004), series, as Art Direction — Fi1m 91, [page](https://film.one/tv/deadwood.md)
- *The Rundown* (2003), Set Designer
- *Enemy of the State* (1998), as Art Direction — Fi1m 73, [page](https://film.one/film/enemy-of-the-state.md)
- *Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil* (1997), as Art Direction
- *The Game* (1997), Supervising Art Director — Fi1m 76, [page](https://film.one/film/the-game.md)
- *Nothing to Lose* (1997), as Art Direction
- *The Relic* (1997), as Art Direction
- *Jade* (1995), Assistant Art Director
- *Crimson Tide* (1995), as Art Direction
- *I Love Trouble* (1994), Set Designer
- *Mrs. Doubtfire* (1993), Assistant Art Director — Fi1m 74, [page](https://film.one/film/mrs-doubtfire.md)
- *True Romance* (1993), as Art Direction — Fi1m 82, [page](https://film.one/film/true-romance.md)
- *Rising Sun* (1993), Assistant Art Director
- *Groundhog Day* (1993), Assistant Art Director — Fi1m 88, [page](https://film.one/film/groundhog-day.md)
- *Sneakers* (1992), Set Designer
- *Unforgiven* (1992), Set Designer — Fi1m 92, [page](https://film.one/film/unforgiven.md)
- *Delirious* (1991), as Art Direction
- *Dick Tracy* (1990), Set Designer
- *Midnight Run* (1988), as Art Direction — Fi1m 88, [page](https://film.one/film/midnight-run.md)
- *Beverly Hills Cop II* (1987), as Art Direction — Fi1m 48, [page](https://film.one/film/beverly-hills-cop-ii.md)
- *Peggy Sue Got Married* (1986), Assistant Art Director — Fi1m 79, [page](https://film.one/film/peggy-sue-got-married.md)
- *Lucas* (1986), as Art Direction
- *Beverly Hills Cop* (1984), as Art Direction — Fi1m 55, [page](https://film.one/film/beverly-hills-cop.md)
- *Joy of Sex* (1984), as Art Direction
- *The Natural* (1984), as Art Direction — Fi1m 67, [page](https://film.one/film/the-natural.md)
- *WarGames* (1983), as Art Direction — Fi1m 82, [page](https://film.one/film/wargames.md)
- *Hammett* (1982), Set Designer
- *The Escape Artist* (1982), as Art Direction
- *One from the Heart* (1982), Assistant Art Director
- *Apocalypse Now* (1979), Assistant Art Director — Fi1m 92, [page](https://film.one/film/apocalypse-now.md)
- *Special Olympics* (1978), as Art Direction
- *The Other Side of Hell* (1978), as Art Direction

## Awards

### Academy Awards — 0 won, 1 nominated

- 2009: Best Production Design (nominated), for *Changeling*

*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/james-j-murakami