Albert Nozaki
Encyclopedia
Albert Nozaki was an art director who worked on various films for Paramount Pictures
. He is perhaps best known for his memorable design of the Martian
war machines from the 1953 film The War of the Worlds
and for his art direction on the epic The Ten Commandments
. He retired in 1969 due to retinitis pigmentosa
, which ultimately cost him his sight. Starting out at Paramount as a draftsman in the Paramount set-design department in 1934, he retired in 1969 as the studio's supervising art director for feature films.
Born in Japan, Nozaki's family moved to the United States when he was 3 and settled in Los Angeles
. Nozaki earned a bachelor's degree in architecture from the University of Southern California
in 1933 and a master's degree in architectural engineering from the University of Illinois in 1934.
In 1938, and for many years thereafter, Al Nozaki lived in Echo Park, California. Shortly after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor
in 1941, Nozaki was abruptly dismissed from his job at Paramount. In the spring of 1942, during the roundup of 120,000 West Coast residents of Japanese descent, he and his wife, Lorna, were sent to the Manzanar
internment
camp in California's Owens Valley.
Among his many other credits as an art director are When Worlds Collide
, The Big Clock, Sorrowful Jones, Appointment with Danger, Pony Express
, Houdini
, The Buccaneer, and Loving You.
Nozaki died on November 16, 2003 in Los Angeles, California
from complications of pneumonia.
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is America's oldest existing film studio; it is also the last major film studio still...
. He is perhaps best known for his memorable design of the Martian
Martian
As an adjective, the term martian is used to describe anything pertaining to the planet Mars.However, a Martian is more usually a hypothetical or fictional native inhabitant of the planet Mars. Historically, life on Mars has often been hypothesized, although there is currently no solid evidence of...
war machines from the 1953 film The War of the Worlds
The War of the Worlds (1953 film)
The War of the Worlds is a 1953 science fiction film starring Gene Barry and Ann Robinson. It was the first on-screen loose adaptation of the H. G. Wells classic novel of the same name...
and for his art direction on the epic The Ten Commandments
The Ten Commandments (1956 film)
The Ten Commandments is a 1956 American epic film that dramatized the biblical story of the Exodus, in which the Hebrew-born Moses, an adopted Egyptian prince, becomes the deliverer of the Hebrew slaves. The film, released by Paramount Pictures in VistaVision on October 5, 1956, was directed by...
. He retired in 1969 due to retinitis pigmentosa
Retinitis pigmentosa
Retinitis pigmentosa is a group of genetic eye conditions that leads to incurable blindness. In the progression of symptoms for RP, night blindness generally precedes tunnel vision by years or even decades. Many people with RP do not become legally blind until their 40s or 50s and retain some...
, which ultimately cost him his sight. Starting out at Paramount as a draftsman in the Paramount set-design department in 1934, he retired in 1969 as the studio's supervising art director for feature films.
Born in Japan, Nozaki's family moved to the United States when he was 3 and settled in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
. Nozaki earned a bachelor's degree in architecture from the University of Southern California
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
in 1933 and a master's degree in architectural engineering from the University of Illinois in 1934.
In 1938, and for many years thereafter, Al Nozaki lived in Echo Park, California. Shortly after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor, known to Hawaiians as Puuloa, is a lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. Much of the harbor and surrounding lands is a United States Navy deep-water naval base. It is also the headquarters of the U.S. Pacific Fleet...
in 1941, Nozaki was abruptly dismissed from his job at Paramount. In the spring of 1942, during the roundup of 120,000 West Coast residents of Japanese descent, he and his wife, Lorna, were sent to the Manzanar
Manzanar
Manzanar is most widely known as the site of one of ten camps where over 110,000 Japanese Americans were imprisoned during World War II. Located at the foot of the Sierra Nevada in California's Owens Valley between the towns of Lone Pine to the south and Independence to the north, it is...
internment
Internment
Internment is the imprisonment or confinement of people, commonly in large groups, without trial. The Oxford English Dictionary gives the meaning as: "The action of 'interning'; confinement within the limits of a country or place." Most modern usage is about individuals, and there is a distinction...
camp in California's Owens Valley.
Among his many other credits as an art director are When Worlds Collide
When Worlds Collide (film)
When Worlds Collide is a 1951 science fiction film based on the 1933 novel co-written by Philip Gordon Wylie and Edwin Balmer. The film was shot in Technicolor, directed by Rudolph Maté and was the winner of the 1951 Academy Award for special effects....
, The Big Clock, Sorrowful Jones, Appointment with Danger, Pony Express
Pony Express (film)
Pony Express is a 1953 American western film directed by Jerry Hopper and starring Charlton Heston as Buffalo Bill, Forrest Tucker as Wild Bill Hickok, Jan Sterling as a Calamity Jane type characterand Rhonda Fleming that was filmed in Kanab, Utah...
, Houdini
Houdini (film)
Houdini is a 1953 biographical film about the life of the magician and escapologist Harry Houdini. It was made by Paramount Pictures, directed by George Marshall and produced by George Pal from a screenplay by Philip Yordan, based on the book Houdini by Harold Kellock. The music score was by Roy...
, The Buccaneer, and Loving You.
Nozaki died on November 16, 2003 in Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
from complications of pneumonia.