Ken Adam Biography (1921-)

Original name, Klaus Adam; born February 5, 1921, in Berlin, Germany; son ofFritz (a businessperson) and Lilli (an operator of a boarding house; maiden name, Saalfeld) Adam; married Maria Letizia (an art director), August 16, 1952. Addresses: Agent: Mirisch Agency, 10100 Santa Monica Blvd., Suite 700A, Los Angeles, CA 90067.

Nationality
British
Gender
Male
Occupation
Production designer
Birth Details
February 5, 1921
Berlin, Germany

Famous Works

  • CREDITS
  • Film Production Designer
  • The Devil's Pass, 1953 (some sources say 1957).
  • (With James W. Sullivan) Around the World in Eighty Days, United Artists, 1956
  • Spin a Dark Web (also known as Soho Incident), Columbia, 1956
  • Child in the House, 1956
  • The Angry Hills, 1958 (some sources say 1959).
  • Beyond This Place, 1959
  • In the Nick, 1959
  • Let's Get Married, 1959
  • Ten Seconds to Hell (also known as The Phoenix), United Artists, 1959
  • Gideon of Scotland Yard (also known as Gideon's Day), Columbia, 1959
  • (With Bill Constable; also costume designer) The Man with the Green Carnation (also known as The Green Carnation and The Trials of Oscar Wilde), Kingsley, 1960
  • Portrait of a Sinner (also known as The Rough and the Smooth), American International Pictures, 1961 (some sources say 1959).
  • (With Syd Cain) Dr. No, United Artists, 1962
  • (With Gino Brosio and Emilio D'Andria) Sodom and Gomorrah (also known as The Last Days of Sodom and Gomorrah, Sodoma e Gomorra, and Sodome et Gomorrhe), Twentieth Century-Fox, 1962
  • In the Cool of the Day, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 1963
  • (With Peter Murton) Dr. Strangelove; or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb, Columbia, 1964
  • (With Murton) Goldfinger (also known as Ian Fleming's Goldfinger), United Artists, 1964
  • (With Murton) Woman of Straw, United Artists, 1964
  • (With Murton) Thunderball, United Artists, 1965
  • (With Murton) The Ipcress File (also known as Len Deighton's The Ipcress File), Universal, 1965
  • (With Murton) Funeral in Berlin, Paramount, 1966
  • (With Harry Pottle) You Only Live Twice, United Artists, 1967
  • Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, United Artists, 1968
  • (With Maurice Fowler) Goodbye Mr. Chips, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 1969
  • (With Jack Maxsted and Bill Kenney) Diamonds Are Forever, United Artists, 1971
  • (With Peter Lamont) Sleuth, Twentieth Century-Fox, 1972
  • (With Tony Roman) The Last of Sheila, Warner Bros., 1973
  • (With Roy Walker) Barry Lyndon, Warner Bros., 1975
  • Madam Kitty (also known as Madame Kitty and Salon Kitty), 1975
  • (With Lamont) The Seven-Per-Cent Solution, Universal, 1977
  • (With Lamont) The Spy Who Loved Me, United Artists, 1977
  • (With Max Douy and Charles Bishop) Moonraker, United Artists, 1979
  • (With Carol Spier) Agnes of God, Columbia, 1985
  • (With Terry Ackland-Snow and Aurelio Crungnola) King David, Paramount, 1985
  • (With Ferdinando Giovannoni) Crimes of the Heart, DD Entertainment, 1986
  • The Deceivers, Cinecom, 1988
  • (With Richard Hudolin and Alan Manzer) Dead-Bang, Warner Bros., 1989
  • Dinosaurs, 1989
  • (With Alicia Keywan) The Freshman, TriStar, 1990
  • (With Albrecht Konrad) Company Business, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer/Pathe, 1991
  • (With William J. Durrell, Jr.) The Doctor, Buena Vista, 1991
  • Undercover Blues, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 1993
  • Addams Family Values, Paramount, 1993
  • The Madness of King George (also known as The Madness of GeorgeIII), Samuel Goldwyn Company, 1994
  • Boys on the Side (also known as Avec ou sans hommes), Warner Bros., 1995
  • Bogus, Warner Bros., 1996
  • In and Out, Paramount, 1997
  • The Out-of-Towners, Paramount, 1999
  • The White Hotel, Geisler-Roberdeau, 2000
  • Taking Sides, Little Big Bear Filmproduktion, 2001
  • Production designer for Cloak and Diaper. Also worked as set or costume designer for the films Flashing Guns, 1947; Prairie Express, 1947; Third Time Lucky, 1948; Obsession (also known as The Hidden Room), 1948; Dick Barton Strikes Back, 1949; Three Men and a Girl, 1949; Your Witness (also known as Eye Witness), 1950; The Master of Ballantrae, 1953; The Intruder, 1953; and Star of India, 1953.
  • Film Work
  • Drafter, This Was a Woman, 1948
  • Drafter, The Brass Monkey (also known as Lucky Mascot), 1948
  • Drafter, The Queen of Spades, 1948
  • Associate art director, Captain Horatio Hornblower (also known asCaptain Horatio Hornblower, R.N.), 1951
  • Associate art director, The Crimson Pirate, 1952
  • Art direction assistant, Helen of Troy (also known as Elena diTroia), 1956
  • Contributor of designs, V.I. (also known as Battle of the V1, Missile from Hell, and Unseen Heroes), 1957 (some sources say 1958).
  • Set designer, Curse of the Demon (also known as Haunted andNight of the Demon), Columbia, 1958
  • Assistant art director, Ben-Hur, 1959
  • Ship designer, John Paul Jones, 1959
  • Contributor of designs, The Hellions, 1961
  • Contributor of designs, The Long Ships, 1964
  • Production design supervisor, The Owl and the Pussycat, Columbia,1970
  • Associate producer and design consultant, Pennies from Heaven, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer/United Artists, 1981
  • Film Appearances
  • Behind the Scenes with Thunderball, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer/United Artists Home Entertainment, 1995
  • Behind the Scenes with Goldfinger, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer/United Artists Home Entertainment, 1995
  • Stanley Kubrick: A Life in Pictures, Warner Bros., 2001

Further Reference

OTHER SOURCES

    Books
    • International Dictionary of Film and Filmmakers, Volume 4: Writers and Production Artists, St. James Press, 1996
    Periodicals
    • American Film, February, 1991, p. 16