James J. Murakami, the art director, production designer and set designer for numerous film and television projects, died on December 15 at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles. He was 91 years old and suffered from complications from a fall, according to his wife.
Murakami received an Emmy for his work on HBO’s dead wood and an Oscar nomination for it The film exchanger, the latest of many films he worked on with director Clint Eastwood.
Among his many credits: The Godfather Part II (1974), apocalypse now (1979), One from the heart (1981), Peggy Sue is married (1986), don’t forgive (1992), Midnight in the garden of good and evil (1997) and Letters from Iwo Jima (2006). He was also a production designer at Eastwood’s grandmother (2008), exchanger (2008), Invictus (2009), After that (2010), J Edgar (2011), turning problems (2012), Jersey boys (2014), American Sniper (2014) and cloudy (2016).
Murakami has received several Emmy nominations for his work on HBO’s dead woodwon in 2005.
Murakami retired in 2016 and received the Art Directors Guild’s Lifetime Achievement Award two years later.
In addition to his wife, survivors include his daughter Patricia and stepchildren John and Sandee.
His obituary appeared first The Hollywood Reporter.
Author: Bruce Herring
Source: Deadline
Joseph Fearn is an entertainment and television aficionado who writes for The Fashion Vibes. With a keen eye for what’s hot in the world of TV, Joseph keeps his readers informed about the latest trends and must-see shows.
