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Wiard Ihnen(1897-1979)

  • Art Director
  • Production Designer
  • Art Department
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
Trained as a painter, Wiard Ihnen entered the film business in 1919 and became a set decorator and an art director, designing many productions during the 1930s, '40s and '50s. He won two Academy Awards, for his art direction of Wilson (1944) and Blood on the Sun (1945). He was married for more than 30 years to famed costume designer Edith Head.
BornAugust 5, 1897
DiedJune 22, 1979(81)
BornAugust 5, 1897
DiedJune 22, 1979(81)
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
Add photos, demo reels
  • Won 2 Oscars
    • 2 wins & 1 nomination total

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Known for

James Cagney, John Emery, and Sylvia Sidney in Blood on the Sun (1945)
Blood on the Sun
6.0
  • Production Designer
  • 1945
Stagecoach (1939)
Stagecoach
7.8
  • Art Department(as Wiard B. Ihnen)
  • 1939
Vincent Price, Charles Coburn, Mary Anderson, William Eythe, Geraldine Fitzgerald, Cedric Hardwicke, Alexander Knox, Thomas Mitchell, and Ruth Nelson in Wilson (1944)
Wilson
6.3
  • Art Director
  • 1944
Mae West in Every Day's a Holiday (1937)
Every Day's a Holiday
6.1
  • Art Director
  • 1937

Credits

IMDbPro

Art Director



  • James Cagney in The Gallant Hours (1960)
    The Gallant Hours
    7.1
    • Art Director
    • 1960
  • Kirk Douglas in The Indian Fighter (1955)
    The Indian Fighter
    6.3
    • Art Director
    • 1955
  • Nancy Gates, Evelyn Keyes, Frank Lovejoy, and Dale Robertson in Top of the World (1955)
    Top of the World
    5.9
    • Art Director
    • 1955
  • Linda Darnell, Dan Duryea, and Rick Jason in This Is My Love (1954)
    This Is My Love
    6.5
    • Art Director
    • 1954
  • War Paint (1953)
    War Paint
    5.8
    • Art Director (as Wiard B. Ihnen)
    • 1953
  • I, the Jury (1953)
    I, the Jury
    6.0
    • Art Director
    • 1953
  • Gary Cooper and Loretta Young in Along Came Jones (1945)
    Along Came Jones
    6.5
    • Art Director
    • 1945
  • Sonja Henie and Michael O'Shea in It's a Pleasure (1945)
    It's a Pleasure
    5.8
    • Art Director (as Wiard B. Ihnen)
    • 1945
  • Vincent Price, Charles Coburn, Mary Anderson, William Eythe, Geraldine Fitzgerald, Cedric Hardwicke, Alexander Knox, Thomas Mitchell, and Ruth Nelson in Wilson (1944)
    Wilson
    6.3
    • Art Director
    • 1944
  • Joan Fontaine and Orson Welles in Jane Eyre (1943)
    Jane Eyre
    7.4
    • Art Director (as Wiard B. Ihnen)
    • 1943
  • Tyrone Power, Dana Andrews, and Anne Baxter in Crash Dive (1943)
    Crash Dive
    6.4
    • Art Director (as Wiard B. Ihnen)
    • 1943
  • Gene Tierney and George Montgomery in China Girl (1942)
    China Girl
    6.2
    • Art Director
    • 1942
  • Sonja Henie, Sammy Kaye, and John Payne in Iceland (1942)
    Iceland
    5.7
    • Art Director
    • 1942
  • Henry Fonda, Don Ameche, and Lynn Bari in The Magnificent Dope (1942)
    The Magnificent Dope
    6.8
    • Art Director (as Wiard B. Ihnen)
    • 1942
  • Lynn Bari, Preston Foster, and Noel Madison in Secret Agent of Japan (1942)
    Secret Agent of Japan
    6.7
    • Art Director (as Wiard B. Ihnen)
    • 1942

Production Designer



  • Clark Gable in The King and Four Queens (1956)
    The King and Four Queens
    6.1
    • Production Designer
    • 1956
  • James Cagney, Anne Francis, Larry Keating, and John McIntire in A Lion Is in the Streets (1953)
    A Lion Is in the Streets
    6.1
    • Production Designer
    • 1953
  • Marlene Dietrich, Mel Ferrer, and Arthur Kennedy in Rancho Notorious (1952)
    Rancho Notorious
    6.8
    • Production Designer
    • 1952
  • Gregory Peck in Only the Valiant (1951)
    Only the Valiant
    6.5
    • Production Designer
    • 1951
  • James Cagney, Ward Bond, Luther Adler, William Cagney, Helena Carter, Gordon Douglas, Barton MacLane, and Barbara Payton in Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye (1950)
    Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye
    7.1
    • Production Designer
    • 1950
  • James Cagney, William Bendix, Ward Bond, Broderick Crawford, James Barton, Jeanne Cagney, William Cagney, Wayne Morris, and H.C. Potter in The Time of Your Life (1948)
    The Time of Your Life
    6.2
    • production designed by
    • 1948
  • Orson Welles, Claudette Colbert, and George Brent in Tomorrow Is Forever (1946)
    Tomorrow Is Forever
    7.3
    • production design (as Wiard B. Ihnen)
    • 1946
  • James Cagney, John Emery, and Sylvia Sidney in Blood on the Sun (1945)
    Blood on the Sun
    6.0
    • Production Designer
    • 1945

Art Department



  • Our Mr. Sun (1956)
    Our Mr. Sun
    7.3
    TV Movie
    • sets
    • 1956
  • William Bendix, Luther Adler, Gene Evans, Arthur Kennedy, Melinda Markey, Beverly Michaels, Christopher Olsen, Gloria Talbott, William Talman, and Marshall Thompson in Crashout (1955)
    Crashout
    7.0
    • set designer
    • 1955
  • Don Ameche and Joan Bennett in Confirm or Deny (1941)
    Confirm or Deny
    6.4
    • associate art director (as Wiard B. Ihnen)
    • 1941
  • Stagecoach (1939)
    Stagecoach
    7.8
    • associate art director (as Wiard B. Ihnen)
    • 1939
  • Becky Sharp (1935)
    Becky Sharp
    5.8
    • associate art director (as W.B. Ihnen)
    • 1935

Personal details

  • Alternative names
    • Wiard B.Ihnen
  • Born
    • August 5, 1897
    • New York City, New York, USA
  • Died
    • June 22, 1979
    • Los Angeles, California, USA(undisclosed)
  • Spouse
    • Edith HeadSeptember 8, 1940 - June 22, 1979 (his death)

Did you know

  • Quotes
    [on working with Josef Von Sternberg]: Strangely, Von Sternberg would never look at the sets ahead of time. He approved of my sketches and only saw the set on the morning of the shooting. I guess he wanted to be surprised.
  • Nickname
    • Bill

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