Hans Dreier (August 21, 1885 – October 24, 1966) was a German motion picture

art director Art director is the title for a variety of similar job functions in theater, advertising, marketing, publishing, fashion, film and television, the Internet, and video games. It is the charge of a sole art director to supervise and unify the vis ...

. He was Paramount Pictures' supervising art director from 1927 until his retirement in 1950, when he was succeeded by

Hal Pereira Hal Pereira (April 29, 1905 – December 17, 1983) was an American art director, production designer, and occasional architect. Pereira was born in Chicago, Illinois, the son of Sarah (Friedberg) and Saul Pereira. In the 1940s through the 1960s ...

. Hans Dreier was born in

Bremen, Germany Bremen (Low German also: ''Breem'' or ''Bräm''), officially the City Municipality of Bremen (german: Stadtgemeinde Bremen, ), is the capital of the German state Free Hanseatic City of Bremen (''Freie Hansestadt Bremen''), a two-city-state consis ...

in 1885. After studying architecture in

Munich, Germany Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the third-largest city in Germany, after Berlin and ...

, Dreier worked as imperial supervising architect of the German

Cameroon Cameroon (; french: Cameroun, ff, Kamerun), officially the Republic of Cameroon (french: République du Cameroun, links=no), is a country in west-central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west and north; Chad to the northeast; the ...

. During

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

, he served in the German Lancers. He began his career in German films in 1919 as an assistant designer at UFA Studios. At the urging of German director

Ernst Lubitsch Ernst Lubitsch (; January 29, 1892November 30, 1947) was a German-born American film director, producer, writer, and actor. His urbane comedies of manners gave him the reputation of being Hollywood's most elegant and sophisticated director; as ...

, Dreier relocated to Hollywood in 1923 to work for Paramount. His first Hollywood film was '' Forbidden Paradise'', directed by Lubitsch and starring Pola Negri. Dreier worked as Paramount's supervising art director from 1927 until his retirement in 1950. He made contributions to nearly 500 films during his career, including many films directed by Josef von Sternberg and

, as well as the film ''

It's a Gift ''It's a Gift'' is a 1934 American comedy film starring W.C. Fields. It was Fields's 16th sound film, and his fifth in 1934 alone. It was directed by Norman McLeod, who had directed Fields in his cameo as Humpty Dumpty in ''Alice in Wonderlan ...

'' (1934) starring W. C. Fields. Introduction by Arthur Knight He was nominated for

Academy Awards 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 ...

for his art direction on 23 occasions. He won Academy Awards for Best Art Direction (Color) for '' Frenchman's Creek'' (1944) and ''

Samson and Delilah Samson and Delilah are Biblical figures. Samson and Delilah may also refer to: In music * ''Samson and Delilah'' (opera), an opera by Camille Saint-Saëns * ''Samson & Delilah'' (album), released in 2013 by V V Brown * "Samson and Delilah" (t ...

'' (1950). He also won the award for Art Direction (Black and White) for ''

Sunset Boulevard Sunset Boulevard is a boulevard in the central and western part of Los Angeles, California, that stretches from the Pacific Coast Highway in Pacific Palisades east to Figueroa Street in Downtown Los Angeles. It is a major thoroughfare in ...

'' (1950).

Selected filmography

* '' The Devil and the Madonna'' (1919) * '' Figures of the Night'' (1920) * '' Mary Magdalene'' (1920) * ''

Napoleon and the Little Washerwoman ''Napoleon and the Little Washerwoman'' (German: ''Napoleon und die kleine Wäscherin'') is a 1920 German silent historical comedy film directed by Adolf Gärtner and starring Ellen Richter, Rudolf Lettinger and Georg John.Bachmann p.251 It is ...

'' (1920) * ''

Kurfürstendamm The Kurfürstendamm (; colloquially ''Ku'damm'', ; en, Prince Elector Embankment) is one of the most famous avenues in Berlin. The street takes its name from the former ''Kurfürsten'' (prince-electors) of Brandenburg. The broad, long boulevar ...

'' (1920) * ''

Lady Godiva Lady Godiva (; died between 1066 and 1086), in Old English , was a late Anglo-Saxon noblewoman who is relatively well documented as the wife of Leofric, Earl of Mercia, and a patron of various churches and monasteries. Today, she is mainly re ...

'' (1921) * ''

The Riddle of the Sphinx A sphinx ( , grc, σφίγξ , Aeolic Greek, Boeotian: , plural sphinxes or sphinges) is a mythical creature with the head of a human, the body of a lion, and the wings of a falcon. In Culture of Greece, Greek tradition, the sphinx has the he ...

'' (1921) * ''

The Adventuress of Monte Carlo ''The Adventuress of Monte Carlo'' (german: Die Abenteuerin von Monte Carlo) is a 1921 German silent adventure film directed by Adolf Gärtner and starring Ellen Richter, Anton Pointner and Eduard von Winterstein. It was released in three part ...

'' (1921) * '' The Last Witness'' (1921) * ''

Fridericus Rex ''Fridericus Rex'' (German: ''Fridericus Rex - 1. Teil: Sturm und Drang'') is a 1922 German silent historical film directed by Arzén von Cserépy and starring Otto Gebühr, Albert Steinrück and Gertrud de Lalsky. It portrays the life of t ...

'' (1922) * '' The Vice of Gambling'' (1923) * ''

La Boheme LA most frequently refers to Los Angeles, the second largest city in the United States. La, LA, or L.A. may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * La (musical note), or A, the sixth note * "L.A.", a song by Elliott Smith on ''Figure ...

'' (1923) * '' The Great Unknown'' (1924) * '' Forbidden Paradise'' (1924, art director) * ''

Underworld The underworld, also known as the netherworld or hell, is the supernatural world of the dead in various religious traditions and myths, located below the world of the living. Chthonic is the technical adjective for things of the underwor ...

'' (1927, set design) * ''

The Docks of New York ''The Docks of New York'' is a 1928 American silent drama film directed by Josef von Sternberg and starring George Bancroft, Betty Compson, and Olga Baclanova. The movie was adapted by Jules Furthman from the John Monk Saunders story ''The Dock ...

'' (1928) * '' The Last Command'' (1928) * '' The Patriot'' (1928) (Oscar nominee) * ''

Morocco Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria t ...

'' (1930) (Oscar nominee) * ''

The Love Parade ''The Love Parade'' is a 1929 American pre-Code musical comedy film, directed by Ernst Lubitsch and starring Maurice Chevalier and Jeanette MacDonald, involving the marital difficulties of Queen Louise of Sylvania (MacDonald) and her consort, C ...

'' (1930) (Oscar nominee) * ''

The Vagabond King ''The Vagabond King'' is a 1925 operetta by Rudolf Friml in four acts, with a book and lyrics by Brian Hooker and William H. Post, based upon Justin Huntly McCarthy's 1901 romantic novel and play ''If I Were King''. The story is a fictionali ...

'' (1930) (Oscar nominee) * '' A Farewell to Arms'' (1932) (Oscar nominee) * '' One Hour with You'' (1932) * '' Trouble in Paradise'' (1932) * '' Shanghai Express'' (1932) * '' Cleopatra'' (1934) * '' The Lives of a Bengal Lancer'' (1935) (Oscar nominee) * ''

If I Were King ''If I Were King'' is a 1938 American biographical and historical film starring Ronald Colman as medieval poet François Villon, and featuring Basil Rathbone and Frances Dee. It is based on the 1901 play and novel, both of the same name, by Just ...

'' (1938) (Oscar nominee) * ''

Arise, My Love ''Arise, My Love'' is a 1940 American romantic comedy film directed by Mitchell Leisen and starring Claudette Colbert, Ray Milland and Dennis O'Keefe. It was made by Paramount Pictures and written by Billy Wilder, Charles Brackett and Jacques T ...

'' (1940) (Oscar nominee) * '' North West Mounted Police'' (1940) (Oscar nominee) * ''

The Lady Eve ''The Lady Eve'' is a 1941 American screwball comedy film written and directed by Preston Sturges and starring Barbara Stanwyck and Henry Fonda.Holiday Inn Holiday Inn is an American chain of hotels based in Atlanta, Georgia. and a brand of IHG Hotels & Resorts. The chain was founded in 1952 by Kemmons Wilson, who opened the first location in Memphis, Tennessee that year. The chain was a division ...

'' (1942, art director with Roland Anderson) * ''

Road to Morocco ''Road to Morocco'' is a 1942 American comedy film starring Bing Crosby, Bob Hope and Dorothy Lamour, and featuring Anthony Quinn and Dona Drake. The film, which was written by Frank Butler and Don Hartman and directed by David Butler for Para ...

'' (1942) * ''

Take a Letter, Darling ''Take a Letter, Darling'' is a 1942 American romantic comedy film directed by Mitchell Leisen and starring Rosalind Russell. It was nominated for three Academy Awards; Best Cinematography, Best Score and Best Art Direction ( Hans Dreier, ...

'' (1942) (Oscar nominee) * ''

Five Graves to Cairo ''Five Graves to Cairo'' is a 1943 war film directed by Billy Wilder and starring Franchot Tone and Anne Baxter. Set in World War II, it is one of a number of films based on Lajos Bíró's 1917 play ''Hotel Imperial: Színmű négy felvonásba ...

'' (1943) (Oscar nominee) * ''

For Whom the Bell Tolls ''For Whom the Bell Tolls'' is a novel by Ernest Hemingway published in 1940. It tells the story of Robert Jordan, a young American volunteer attached to a Republican guerrilla unit during the Spanish Civil War. As a dynamiter, he is assigned ...

'' (1943) (Oscar nominee) * '' Double Indemnity'' (1944, art director with

) * ''

Going My Way ''Going My Way'' is a 1944 American musical comedy drama film directed by Leo McCarey and starring Bing Crosby and Barry Fitzgerald. Written by Frank Butler and Frank Cavett based on a story by McCarey, the film is about a new young priest tak ...

'' (1944) * '' Frenchman's Creek'' (1944, art director with Ernst Fegte) (Oscar winner) * '' Kitty'' (1945) (Oscar nominee) * '' The Lost Weekend'' (1945, art director with Ted Hedrick) * ''

Love Letters A love letter is an expression of love in written form. However delivered, the letter may be anything from a short and simple message of love to a lengthy explanation and description of feelings. History One of the oldest references to a l ...

'' (1945) (Oscar nominee) * ''

A Foreign Affair ''A Foreign Affair'' is a 1948 American romantic comedy- drama film directed by Billy Wilder and starring Jean Arthur, Marlene Dietrich, and John Lund. The screenplay by Wilder, Charles Brackett, and Richard L. Breen is based on a story by D ...

'' (1948) * ''

'' (1950, art director with Walter Tyler) (Oscar winner) * ''

'' (1950, art director with John Meehan) (Oscar winner) * '' A Place in the Sun'' (1951)

References

External links

* * Examples of Dreier's work in th
William Ezelle Jones collection, 1925-1935
Margaret Herrick Library, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences 1885 births 1966 deaths German art directors Best Art Direction Academy Award winners Mass media people from Bremen German emigrants to the United States German production designers Film people from Bremen (state) {{artdirector-stub

Selected filmography

See also

References

External links