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Bill Gold

American graphic designer (1921–2018) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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For Hungarian-born American businessman and professor, see Bela Gold.

William Gold (January 3, 1921 – May 20, 2018) was an American graphic designer best known for thousands of film poster designs.[1][2] During his 70-year career, Gold worked with some of Hollywood's greatest filmmakers, including Laurence Olivier, Clint Eastwood, Alfred Hitchcock, Stanley Kubrick, Elia Kazan, and Ridley Scott. His first poster was for Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942), and his final work was for J. Edgar (2011). Among Gold's most famous posters are those for Casablanca, The Exorcist and The Sting.

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Early life

William Gold was born on January 3, 1921, in Brooklyn, the son of Rose (née Sachs) and Paul Gold.[3] After graduating from Samuel J. Tilden High School, he won a scholarship and studied illustration and design at Pratt Institute in New York.[3][4] In 1941, he married Pearl Damses. They had two children and later divorced.[3]

Early career

Gold began his professional design career in 1941, in the advertising department of Warner Bros. His first poster was for the James Cagney musical feature film Yankee Doodle Dandy in 1942, followed soon after by the poster for Casablanca. He was then drafted into the US Army where he was involved in the production of training films.[3] Following his discharge in 1946, he resumed his career designing posters for Warner Bros. where he became head of poster design in 1947.[3][5]

In 1959, his brother Charlie joined him in the business, and they formed BG Charles to do the film trailers.[5] Charlie operated BG Charles in Los Angeles, while Bill operated in New York City. In 1987, Charlie left the business and retired to Vermont. Charlie Gold died at age 75 on December 25, 2003.[citation needed]

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Bill Gold Advertising

In 1962, following the dissolution of the Warner Bros. New York advertising unit, Gold created Bill Gold Advertising in New York City.[5] In 1997, Bill moved the company to Stamford, Connecticut, and continued his business, producing posters for every film Clint Eastwood produced, directed, and/or acted in, among others.[6] In 1994, Bill was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award from The Hollywood Reporter. Richard Benjamin was the MC for the ceremony at the Directors Guild, and Clint Eastwood presented the award to Bill Gold on behalf of The Hollywood Reporter.[3]

Bill Gold was a member of the Society of Illustrators, the Art Directors Club and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.[7]

Later life

In his later years, Gold resided in Old Greenwich, Connecticut. He married Susan Cornfield in 1989.[3] He retired from his advertising business in 2003, but designed one last poster in 2011, for Eastwood's film J. Edgar.[3] A limited-edition, oversized one-volume retrospective[8][9] was published in January 2011 in coordination with his 90th birthday. He died from complications of Alzheimer's disease at Greenwich Hospital on May 20, 2018, at the age of 97.[3]

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Film posters

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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Bill Gold.
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Gold's American theatrical release poster for Casablanca (1942)
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Gold's original theatrical release poster for A Streetcar Named Desire (1951)

After his first film project, Yankee Doodle Dandy, Gold collaborated with the American film industry's top film directors and film producers. Especially fruitful was Gold's relationship with the illustrator Bob Peak. Gold's work spanned eight decades and was involved in the creation of over 2,000 posters.[6]

1940s

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1950s

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1960s

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1970s

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1980s

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1990s

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2000s

2010s

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Collaborating directors

Collaborating producers

Best Picture Winners

References

Further reading

External links

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