Oscar-Winning Designer Dean Tavoularis Dies at 93

Dean Tavoularis, the Oscar-winning production designer renowned for his collaborations with Francis Ford Coppola on films including the Godfather trilogy and Apocalypse Now, died Wednesday night at a hospital in Paris. He was 93 and passed away from natural causes.

Coppola, who worked with Tavoularis on 13 projects over decades, shared a tribute on social media Thursday. "My dear friend and collaborator Dean Tavoularis has passed. I would be unable to list the many ways he benefited my work and my personal life. He was a great artist, a great friend, a great production designer and a great man," Coppola wrote. The director described their partnership as a "natural and wordless collaboration" that provided comfort and enhanced the style of their films.

Tavoularis was born on May 18, 1932, in Lowell, Massachusetts, to Greek American parents. His family moved to Los Angeles, where his father worked in the coffee business, delivering to studios like Fox. As a child, Tavoularis visited sets, sparking his interest in the industry. He studied architecture and painting at Otis College of Art and Design before joining Walt Disney Studios as an inbetweener in the animation department,...