Biography
Jo Mielziner (1901–1976) was an American theatrical scenic and lighting designer, also active in film as a production designer. Born in Paris, he studied at the National Academy of Design and the Art Students League in New York, as well as in Paris and Vienna, before working under designers Robert Edmond Jones and Lee Simonson.
Mielziner designed scenery and often lighting for more than 200 Broadway productions from the 1920s to the 1970s, including the original stagings of A Streetcar Named Desire (1947), Death of a Salesman (1949), South Pacific (1949), Guys and Dolls (1950) and The King and I (1951). He received seven Tony Awards and five further nominations for his stage work. His film credits include production design on Picnic (1955), for which he shared an Academy Award for Best Art Direction (Colour).
During the Second World War he served as a camouflage specialist with the US Air Force and later with the Office of Strategic Services. He also contributed to the design of theatres including the Vivian Beaumont at Lincoln Center.
