John Clark Okey (June 3, 1889 – January 8, 1963) was an American
art director.
Personal life
He was raised in Los Angeles and attended the
Harvard School for Boys, where he excelled in sports. After leaving, he was given instruction in art by his uncle, the California artist, J. Bond Francisco. While he was in his early 20s, he spent several years in
Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...
studying art. While in Paris, he met a pianist from Indiana,
Marie Wilson, whom he married shortly after his return to Los Angeles in 1913. They had one son and two daughters and remained married until her death in October 1961.
He was born and died in Los Angeles, California.
Career
Around the time of his marriage, he became involved in the nascent film industry in the Los Angeles area and was involved in the design and construction of some of the earliest studios there. He continued in the film industry as an art director until his retirement in 1959. In the mid-1930s he spent several years in England working for
Alexander Korda
Sir Alexander Korda (; born Sándor László Kellner; hu, Korda Sándor; 16 September 1893 – 23 January 1956)[RKO Studios
RKO Radio Pictures Inc., commonly known as RKO Pictures or simply RKO, was an American film production and distribution company, one of the "Big Five" film studios of Hollywood's Golden Age. The business was formed after the Keith-Albee-Orpheu ...](_blank)
.
He was nominated for two
Academy Award
The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...
s for
Best Art Direction for the films ''
Sally
Sally may refer to:
People
*Sally (name), a list of notable people with the name
Military
* Sally (military), an attack by the defenders of a town or fortress under siege against a besieging force; see sally port
*Sally, the Allied reporting na ...
'' (1929)
and ''
Experiment Perilous'' (1944).
Selected filmography
* ''
Sally
Sally may refer to:
People
*Sally (name), a list of notable people with the name
Military
* Sally (military), an attack by the defenders of a town or fortress under siege against a besieging force; see sally port
*Sally, the Allied reporting na ...
'' (1929)
* ''
Experiment Perilous'' (1944)
* ''
It's a Wonderful Life
''It's a Wonderful Life'' is a 1946 American Christmas fantasy drama film produced and directed by Frank Capra, based on the short story and booklet ''The Greatest Gift'', which Philip Van Doren Stern self-published in 1943 and is in turn loos ...
'' (1946)
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Okey, Jack
1889 births
1963 deaths
American art directors
People from Los Angeles
Harvard-Westlake School alumni