Gassner, Dennis 1948-

PERSONAL

Born in 1948, in Canada. Education: Studied fine arts and architecture at University of Oregon; studied filmmaking and advertising design at Art Center College of Design, Pasadena, CA.

Addresses:

Agent—The Gersh Agency, 232 North Canon Dr., Beverly Hills, CA 90210.

Career:

Production designer. Designed dossier and helped create the advertising campaign for Apocalypse Now, 1978-79; became staff designer at Francis Ford Coppola's Zoetrope Studios, 1979. Previously worked as a record cover designer.

Awards, Honors:

Academy Award nomination (with Nancy Haigh), best art direction, 1991, for Barton Fink; Academy Award (with Haigh), best art direction, 1991, for Bugsy; Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award, best production design, 1994, for The Hudsucker Proxy; Film Award, best production designer, British Academy of Film and Television Arts, and Golden Satellite Award, best art direction, International Press Academy, 1999, both for The Truman Show; Film Award nomination, best production design, British Academy of Film and Television Arts, 2001, for O Brother, Where Art Thou?; Excellence in Production Design Award nomination (with Chris Gorak and Lance Hammer), feature film—period or fantasy films, Art Directors Guild, 2002, for The Man Who Wasn't There; Excellence in Production Design Award nomination (with others), feature film—period or fantasy films, 2002, Academy Award nomination (with Haigh), best art direction—set decoration, Film Award, best production design, British Academy of Film and Television Arts, Golden Satellite Award nomination (with Richard L. Johnson), best art direction, 2003, all for Road to Perdition; Film Award nomination, best production design, British Academy of Film and Television Arts, 2004, for Big Fish; Excellence in Production Design Award nomination (with others), feature film—contemporary, 2006, for Jarhead.

CREDITS

Film Production Designer:

Rumble Fish, Universal, 1983.

Wisdom, Twentieth Century-Fox, 1986.

The Hitcher, TriStar, 1986.

In the Mood (also known as The Woo Woo Kid), Lorimar, 1987.

Like Father, Like Son, TriStar, 1987.

Earth Girls Are Easy, Vestron, 1989.

Field of Dreams, Universal, 1989.

Miller's Crossing, Twentieth Century-Fox, 1990.

The Grifters, Miramax, 1990.

Barton Fink, Twentieth Century-Fox, 1991.

Bugsy, TriStar, 1991.

Hero (also known as Accidental Hero), Columbia, 1992.

The Hudsucker Proxy (also known as Hudsucker—Der grosse sprung), Warner Bros., 1994.

Waterworld, Universal, 1995.

The Truman Show, Paramount, 1998.

Himself, The "Field of Dreams" Scrapbook (documentary; also known as The Making of the "Field of Dreams" Scrapbook), Universal Studios Home Video, 1998.

O Brother, Where Art Thou? (also known as O Brother), Buena Vista, 2000.

The Man Who Wasn't There, USA Films, 2001.

Road to Perdition, DreamWorks, 2002.

Big Fish, Columbia, 2003.

The Ladykillers, Buena Vista, 2004.

Jarhead (also known as Jarhead—Willkommen im dreck), Universal, 2005.

Ask the Dust, Paramount Classics, 2006.

The Golden Compass (also known as His Dark Materials: Northern Lights), New Line Cinema, 2007.

Film Title Designer:

Sylvester, 1985.

The Hitcher, TriStar, 1986.

Under the Cherry Moon, Warner Bros., 1986.

Static, Siren Releasing, 1986.

Film Graphic Designer:

One from the Heart, Sony Pictures Releasing, 1982.

Hammett, Orion, 1982.

Rumble Fish, Universal, 1983.

Film Work; Other:

Production assistant, Apocalypse Now, United Artists, 1979.

Film Appearances:

Himself, How's It' Going to End? The Making of "The Truman Show" (documentary short), Paramount Pictures Home Entertainment, 2005.

Himself, Faux Finishing: The Visual Effects of "The Truman Show" (documentary short), Paramount Pictures Home Entertainment, 2005.

Television Work; Movies:

Set decorator, Wet Gold, 1984.

Television Appearances; Specials:

Himself, The Making of "Road to Perdition," 2002.

Television Appearances; Episodic:

Himself, "Road to Perdition," HBO First Look, HBO, 2002.

OTHER SOURCES

Periodicals:

Theatre Crafts, November, 1991, p. 44.