Occupation Art director
Painter Years active 1921-1954 | Name William Darling Role Film Art Director | |
Full Name Wilhelm Sandorhazi Born 14 September 1882 ( 1882-09-14 ) Sandorhaza, Kingdom of Hungary, Austro-Hungarian Empire Died December 15, 1963, Laguna Beach, California, United States Spouse Marjory Adams (m. 1957–1963), Gwendolin Darling (m. 1915–1955) Children William Sandorhazi, Imre Sandorhazi Awards Academy Award for Best Production Design Art directed Cavalcade, The Song of Bernadette Similar People James Basevi, Lyle R Wheeler, Robert F Boyle, Arthur Charles Miller, Frank Lloyd | ||
William S. Darling (14 September 1882 – 15 December 1963) was a Hungarian-born art director who is an inductee of the American Art Directors Guild Hall of Fame.
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Early life
Darling was born Wilmos Béla Sándorházi (also Adalbert Sandorhazi) in Sándorháza, Austria-Hungary. He initially studied architecture because of his father's wishes, but later switched to the Budapest Academy of Fine Arts where he studied painting. He continued his studies on scholarship at the Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris, France.
Career
In 1910, Darling immigrated to New York City using the name Adalbert Sandorhazi. He successfully pursued a career as a portrait artist. He changed his name from Sándorházi to Darling during World War I when his wife suggested he adopt her maiden name to avoid the foreign sound. Around 1920 he moved to Southern California where he began work as an art designer on films and soon became the head of the art department at 20th Century Fox. Darling worked on 61 films between 1921 and 1954. His notable work includes the John Ford-directed films The Iron Horse (1924), Judge Priest (1934) and The Prisoner of Shark Island (1936); the Academy Award-winning film adaptation of the Noël Coward's play Cavalcade (1933); and The Rains Came (1939) with Tyrone Power and Myrna Loy.
Darling was nominated six times in the category Best Art Direction. He won the Oscar for Cavalcade, The Song of Bernadette (1943) and Anna and the King of Siam (1946).
Darling was a fellow of the American Academy of the Fine Arts. In 2012, the American Art Director's Guild inducted Darling into its Hall of Fame.
Personal life
Darling was first married in Hungary and had two children, William and Imre. On 2 February 1915, he married Gwendolin Darling in New York City. They remarried on 19 November 1937 in Phoenix, Arizona. Gwendolin died in April 1955 in Palm Springs, California. In 1957, Darling married the portrait artist Marjory Adams. They lived in Laguna Beach, California where he was a noted member of the art community and a life member of the Laguna Beach Art Association. He died on 15 December 1963 at his home in Laguna Beach, California.