---
name: "Syd Cain"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/syd-cain"
roles: ["Art direction"]
born: "16 April 1918"
died: "21 November 2011"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 3
average_fi1m_score: 81
average_over: 3
updated: "2026-09-18T11:13:05.472735+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."
---

# Syd Cain

Art direction. Born 16 April 1918 in Grantham, Lincolnshire, England, UK. Died 21 November 2011.

## Details

- **Work:** Art direction
- **Born:** 16 April 1918, Grantham, Lincolnshire, England, UK
- **Died:** 21 November 2011
- **Active:** 1962–1969
- **Also known as:** Sydney Cain
- **Fi1m against the critics:** 81 to 80 across 3 titles
- **Score spread:** 2 at 80+, 1 at 60–79, 0 under 60
- **Genres:** Action 3, Adventure 3, Thriller 3
- **Screen time:** 6 hours of reviewed films
- **Box office:** $220m across 3 films with figures
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syd_Cain, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1669483, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0128966/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/7756

## Biography

Syd Cain (born Sydney Basil Cain) was a British production designer and art director. Born in Grantham, Lincolnshire, in 1918, he served in the Royal Air Force during the Second World War before entering the film industry as a draughtsman in the late 1940s. He progressed to assistant art director roles, notably with producers Albert R. Broccoli and Irving Allen at Warwick Films.

Cain worked extensively on the James Bond series. He contributed as art director on *Dr. No* (1962) and *From Russia with Love* (1963), served as production designer on *On Her Majesty's Secret Service* (1969), and was supervising art director on *Live and Let Die* (1973). He later provided storyboards for *GoldenEye* (1995). Other credits include art direction or production design on *Lolita* (1962), *Fahrenheit 451* (1966), *Billion Dollar Brain* (1967) and *Frenzy* (1972).

He published his autobiography, *Not Forgetting James Bond*, in 2002. Cain died in London in 2011.

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

## On Fi1m (3)

- *On Her Majesty's Secret Service* (1969), Fi1m 83, Production design, Production Design — [page](https://film.one/film/on-her-majestys-secret-service.md)
- *From Russia with Love* (1963), Fi1m 84, Art Direction — [page](https://film.one/film/from-russia-with-love.md)
- *Dr. No* (1962), Fi1m 77, Art Direction — [page](https://film.one/film/dr-no.md)

## Complete filmography (26)

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

- *Tarzan and the Lost City* (1998), Storyboard Artist
- *Robin Hood* (1991), Storyboard Artist
- *Tusks* (1988), Production Design
- *Who Dares Wins* (1982), Production Design
- *Loophole* (1981), Production Design
- *Lion of the Desert* (1981), Production Design
- *Aces High* (1976), Production Design
- *Shout at the Devil* (1976), Production Design
- *Gold* (1974), Production Design
- *Live and Let Die* (1973), Supervising Art Director
- *Fear Is the Key* (1972), Production Design
- *Frenzy* (1972), Production Design
- *On Her Majesty's Secret Service* (1969), Production Design — Fi1m 83, [page](https://film.one/film/on-her-majestys-secret-service.md)
- *Billion Dollar Brain* (1967), Production Design
- *Fahrenheit 451* (1966), Art Direction, Production Design
- *The Amorous Adventures of Moll Flanders* (1965), Production Design
- *Hot Enough for June* (1964), Art Direction
- *From Russia with Love* (1963), Art Direction — Fi1m 84, [page](https://film.one/film/from-russia-with-love.md)
- *Call Me Bwana* (1963), Art Direction
- *Dr. No* (1962), Art Direction — Fi1m 77, [page](https://film.one/film/dr-no.md)
- *Lolita* (1962), Art Direction
- *The Road to Hong Kong* (1962), Art Direction
- *Our Man in Havana* (1960), Assistant Art Director
- *Interpol* (1957), Assistant Art Director
- *The Gamma People* (1956), Assistant Art Director
- *Adam and Evelyne* (1949), Draughtsman

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© 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/syd-cain