Tambi Larsen
Encyclopedia
Tambi Larsen was a Dane
born in Bangalore
, India
. He emigrated to the United States
at the age of 20, where he attended Yale Drama School. He married Barbara Dole in 1941 and became an American citizen in 1943. Tambi struggled to make a living as a set designer for Broadway shows. During World War II
, Larsen worked for the Office of War Information, first broadcasting the news in Danish, and after V-E Day, designing exhibits in Denmark as Assistant Cultural Relations Officer.
After the war, the family—which now included son Peter and daughter Pamela—moved to Hollywood, where Larsen tried his hand in the movie industry. He was immediately hired by Paramount Pictures
as an Assistant Art Director. His first official job was on 1953's The Secret of the Incas. Two years after that debut, he won an Oscar for The Rose Tattoo. He was also nominated for Hud
, The Spy Who Came in from the Cold
, The Molly Maguires, and Heaven's Gate
, and he won the British BAFTA award for The Spy Who Came In From The Cold. He designed at least 41 movies during his career.
During a time-out from Hollywood while he designed a movie about Father Damien, Larsen began visiting Hawaii
. He and his wife bought a home in Kauai
, in 1961. Over the years, he explored the island, taking snapshots which he then drew with colored pencils. He called his exhibits "100 Entertainments." The Kauai Historical Society is preparing to publish a book of his 100 drawings.
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
born in Bangalore
Bangalore
Bengaluru , formerly called Bengaluru is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. Bangalore is nicknamed the Garden City and was once called a pensioner's paradise. Located on the Deccan Plateau in the south-eastern part of Karnataka, Bangalore is India's third most populous city and...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. He emigrated to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
at the age of 20, where he attended Yale Drama School. He married Barbara Dole in 1941 and became an American citizen in 1943. Tambi struggled to make a living as a set designer for Broadway shows. During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Larsen worked for the Office of War Information, first broadcasting the news in Danish, and after V-E Day, designing exhibits in Denmark as Assistant Cultural Relations Officer.
After the war, the family—which now included son Peter and daughter Pamela—moved to Hollywood, where Larsen tried his hand in the movie industry. He was immediately hired by Paramount Pictures
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...
as an Assistant Art Director. His first official job was on 1953's The Secret of the Incas. Two years after that debut, he won an Oscar for The Rose Tattoo. He was also nominated for Hud
Hud (film)
Hud is a 1963 western film whose title character is an embittered and selfish modern-day cowboy. With screenplay by Irving Ravetch and Harriet Frank, Jr., based on Larry McMurtry's 1961 novel Horseman, Pass By, it was directed by Martin Ritt and stars Paul Newman, Melvyn Douglas, Patricia Neal and...
, The Spy Who Came in from the Cold
The Spy Who Came in from the Cold (film)
The Spy Who Came in from the Cold is a 1965 film adaptation of the novel of the same name by John le Carré. It was adapted by Paul Dehn and Guy Trosper. The film stars Richard Burton as Alec Leamas, along with Claire Bloom, Oskar Werner, Peter van Eyck, Sam Wanamaker, Rupert Davies and Cyril Cusack...
, The Molly Maguires, and Heaven's Gate
Heaven's Gate (film)
Heaven's Gate is a 1980 American epic Western film based on the Johnson County War, a dispute between land barons and European immigrants in Wyoming in the 1890s...
, and he won the British BAFTA award for The Spy Who Came In From The Cold. He designed at least 41 movies during his career.
During a time-out from Hollywood while he designed a movie about Father Damien, Larsen began visiting Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
. He and his wife bought a home in Kauai
Kauai
Kauai or Kauai, known as Tauai in the ancient Kaua'i dialect, is geologically the oldest of the main Hawaiian Islands. With an area of , it is the fourth largest of the main islands in the Hawaiian archipelago, and the 21st largest island in the United States. Known also as the "Garden Isle",...
, in 1961. Over the years, he explored the island, taking snapshots which he then drew with colored pencils. He called his exhibits "100 Entertainments." The Kauai Historical Society is preparing to publish a book of his 100 drawings.