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)

References

1. Appelo, Tim (August 29, 2011). "'Transformers' VFX Supervisor, 'Tree of Life' DP to Receive Hollywood Film Festival Honors". The Hollywood Reporter.
2. "The 81st Academy Awards (2009) Nominees and Winners". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. AMPAS. Retrieved August 17, 2014.
3. "Nominations Announced for Art Directors Guild 22nd Annual Excellence In Production Design Awards". PRNewswire. 4 January 2018. Retrieved 28 January 2018.
4. Barnes, Mike. "James J. Murakami, Emmy-Winning Art Director on 'Deadwood,' Dies at 91". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved December 22, 2022.

External links

• James J. Murakami at IMDb