James J. Murakami

Not to be confused with Jimmy T. Murakami.

James J. Murakami (June 4, 1931 – December 15, 2022) was an American art director and production designer.

James J. Murakami
Born	(1931-06-04)June 4, 1931 Sacramento, California, U.S.
Died	December 15, 2022(2022-12-15) (aged 91) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Occupation	Art director
Years active	1978–2016

Murakami won an Emmy Award in 2006 for his work on the television series Deadwood.^[1]

In 2008, Murakami was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Art Direction for his work on the film Changeling (2008).^[2]

Murakami was recognized by the Art Directors Guild in 2018 as the recipient of the year's ADG Award for Lifetime Achievement.^[3]

Murakami worked on a number of Clint Eastwood films, including Invictus (2009), Hereafter (2010), and J. Edgar (2011).^[1]

Murakami died in Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, Los Angeles on December 15, 2022, at the age of 91.^[4]

Selected filmography

Films

• Apocalypse Now (1979)
• WarGames (1983)
• Midnight Run (1988)
• Beverly Hills Cop (1984)

Beverly Hills Cop II (1987)

• Unforgiven (1992)
• True Romance (1993)
• The Game (1997)
• The Scorpion King (2002)
• Rails & Ties (2007)
• Changeling (2008)
• Gran Torino (2008)
• Invictus (2009)
• Hereafter (2010)
• J. Edgar (2011)
• Trouble with the Curve (2012)
• American Sniper (2014)
• Sully (2016)

Television

• Battlestar Galactica (1978)
• Charmed (2000)
• Deadwood (2004–2005)