---
name: "John DeCuir"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/john-decuir"
fi1m_id: "john-decuir"
imdb_id: "nm0214043"
tmdb_id: 1118257
wikidata_id: "Q180645"
roles: ["Art direction"]
born: "4 June 1918"
died: "29 October 1991"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 9
average_fi1m_score: 62
average_over: 9
updated: "2026-10-04T17:05:53.507969+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."
---

# John DeCuir

## Identity

John DeCuir

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/john-decuir
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** john-decuir
- **IMDb ID:** nm0214043
- **TMDB ID:** 1118257
- **Wikidata ID:** Q180645
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_DeCuir, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q180645, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0214043/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/1118257

Art direction. Born 4 June 1918 in San Francisco, California, USA. Died 29 October 1991.

## Details

- **Work:** Art direction
- **Born:** 4 June 1918, San Francisco, California, USA
- **Died:** 29 October 1991
- **Active:** 1953–1984
- **Also known as:** John De Cuir, John F. DeCuir Sr., John F. DeCuir, John F. Decuir, John de Cuir
- **Academy Awards:** 3 Oscars (3 won · 8 nominated)
- **Fi1m score by decade:** 1950s 64 (5), 1960s 60 (2), 1980s 58 (2)
- **Fi1m against the critics:** 61 to 56 across 7 titles
- **Score spread:** 1 at 80+, 5 at 60–79, 3 under 60
- **Genres:** Drama 7, Romance 6, History 3, Comedy 2, Action 1, Adventure 1
- **Screen time:** 20 hours of reviewed films
- **Box office:** $466m across 8 films with figures
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_DeCuir, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q180645, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0214043/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/1118257

## Streaming the US now

- **Netflix:** [*Ghostbusters*](https://film.one/film/ghostbusters.md) (80)
- **Disney+:** [*Hello, Dolly!*](https://film.one/film/hello-dolly.md) (56)
- **Amazon Prime Video:** [*Raise the Titanic*](https://film.one/film/raise-the-titanic.md) (36)

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

## Biography

John DeCuir was an American art director and production designer. Born in San Francisco in 1918, he studied at the Chouinard Art School and began working in films as a sketch artist in the 1930s. He joined Universal in the late 1930s and moved to 20th Century Fox in 1949, where he designed sets for numerous productions.

DeCuir received eleven Academy Award nominations and won three for his work on *The King and I* (1956), *Cleopatra* (1963) and *Hello, Dolly!* (1969). His other credits include *The Naked City* (1948), *An Affair to Remember* (1957), *The Robe* (1953) and *Ghostbusters* (1984). He died in Santa Monica, California, in 1991. His son, John DeCuir Jr., is also a production designer.

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

## On Fi1m (9)

- *Ghostbusters* (1984), Fi1m 80, Production design, Production Design — [page](https://film.one/film/ghostbusters.md)
- *Raise the Titanic* (1980), Fi1m 36, Production Design, Production design — [page](https://film.one/film/raise-the-titanic.md)
- *Hello, Dolly!* (1969), Fi1m 56, Production Design, Production design — [page](https://film.one/film/hello-dolly.md)
- *Cleopatra* (1963), Fi1m 63, Production Design, Production design — [page](https://film.one/film/cleopatra.md)
- *An Affair to Remember* (1957), Fi1m 78, Art Direction — [page](https://film.one/film/an-affair-to-remember.md)
- *The King and I* (1956), Fi1m 71, Art Direction — [page](https://film.one/film/the-king-and-i.md)
- *Carmen Jones* (1954), Fi1m 65, Art Direction — [page](https://film.one/film/carmen-jones.md)
- *Three Coins in the Fountain* (1954), Fi1m 60, Art Direction — [page](https://film.one/film/three-coins-in-the-fountain.md)
- *The Robe* (1953), Fi1m 48, Art Direction — [page](https://film.one/film/the-robe.md)

## Complete filmography (55)

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

- *Land of the Free* (1998), Production Design
- *Ghostbusters* (1984), Production Design — Fi1m 80, [page](https://film.one/film/ghostbusters.md)
- *Monsignor* (1982), Production Design
- *Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid* (1982), Production Design
- *Raise the Titanic* (1980), Production Design — Fi1m 36, [page](https://film.one/film/raise-the-titanic.md)
- *Love and Bullets* (1979), Production Design, Art Direction
- *Ziegfeld: The Man and His Women* (1978), Production Design
- *The Other Side of Midnight* (1977), Production Design
- *That's Entertainment, Part II* (1976), Production Design
- *The Other Side of the Mountain* (1975), as Art Direction
- *Once Is Not Enough* (1975), Production Design
- *The Great White Hope* (1970), Production Design
- *On a Clear Day You Can See Forever* (1970), Production Design
- *Hello, Dolly!* (1969), Production Design — Fi1m 56, [page](https://film.one/film/hello-dolly.md)
- *Charly* (1968), Production Design
- *Doctor Faustus* (1967), Production Design
- *The Honey Pot* (1967), Production Design
- *The Taming of the Shrew* (1967), Production Design
- *A Man Could Get Killed* (1966), as Art Direction
- *The Agony and the Ecstasy* (1965), Production Design
- *Circus World* (1964), Production Design
- *Cleopatra* (1963), Production Design — Fi1m 63, [page](https://film.one/film/cleopatra.md)
- *Seven Thieves* (1960), as Art Direction
- *The Big Fisherman* (1959), Production Design
- *A Certain Smile* (1958), as Art Direction
- *South Pacific* (1958), as Art Direction
- *An Affair to Remember* (1957), as Art Direction — Fi1m 78, [page](https://film.one/film/an-affair-to-remember.md)
- *Island in the Sun* (1957), as Art Direction
- *Boy on a Dolphin* (1957), Art Designer
- *The Best Things in Life Are Free* (1956), as Art Direction
- *The King and I* (1956), as Art Direction — Fi1m 71, [page](https://film.one/film/the-king-and-i.md)
- *Alexander the Great* (1956), Storyboard Artist
- *Daddy Long Legs* (1955), as Art Direction
- *There's No Business Like Show Business* (1954), as Art Direction
- *Carmen Jones* (1954), as Art Direction — Fi1m 65, [page](https://film.one/film/carmen-jones.md)
- *Three Coins in the Fountain* (1954), as Art Direction — Fi1m 60, [page](https://film.one/film/three-coins-in-the-fountain.md)
- *The Robe* (1953), as Art Direction — Fi1m 48, [page](https://film.one/film/the-robe.md)
- *Call Me Madam* (1953), as Art Direction
- *My Cousin Rachel* (1952), as Art Direction
- *The Snows of Kilimanjaro* (1952), as Art Direction
- *Diplomatic Courier* (1952), as Art Direction
- *Lydia Bailey* (1952), Art Designer
- *The Model and the Marriage Broker* (1951), as Art Direction
- *Mr. Belvedere Rings the Bell* (1951), as Art Direction
- *The House on Telegraph Hill* (1951), as Art Direction
- *Curtain Call at Cactus Creek* (1950), as Art Direction
- *And Baby Makes Three* (1949), as Art Direction
- *The Life of Riley* (1949), as Art Direction
- *Mexican Hayride* (1948), as Art Direction · Production Designer
- *Casbah* (1948), as Art Direction
- *The Naked City* (1948), as Art Direction
- *Brute Force* (1947), as Art Direction
- *Time Out of Mind* (1947), as Art Direction
- *Saboteur* (1942), as Production Illustrator
- *The Adventures of Marco Polo* (1938), Graphic Designer

## Awards

### Academy Awards — 3 won, 8 nominated

- 1970: Best Production Design (won), for *Hello, Dolly!*
- 1968: Best Production Design (nominated), for *The Taming of the Shrew*
- 1966: Best Art Direction, Color (nominated), for *The Agony and the Ecstasy*
- 1964: Best Art Direction, Color (won), for *Cleopatra*
- 1960: Best Art Direction, Color (nominated), for *The Big Fisherman*
- 1959: Best Production Design (nominated), for *A Certain Smile*
- 1957: Best Art Direction, Color (won), for *The King and I*
- 1956: Best Art Direction, Color (nominated), for *Daddy Long Legs*
- 1953: Best Art Direction, Color (nominated), for *The Snows of Kilimanjaro*
- 1953: Best Art Direction, Black and White (nominated), for *My Cousin Rachel*
- 1952: Best Art Direction, Black and White (nominated), for *The House on Telegraph Hill*

*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/john-decuir