Stephen B. Grimes


Stephen B. Grimes was an English production designer and art director. He won an Oscar and was nominated for two more in the category Best Art Direction.

Overview

Stephen B. Grimes started working in the British film industry after the war as a sketch-artist. From the mid-50s to the late 60s, Grimes worked almost exclusively with John Huston. Their longer term collaboration resulted in 14 films in over 30 years.
Grimes also had a fruitful long-term working relationship with Sydney Pollack, making seven films with him.
Grimes also worked with directors David Lean, Peter Yates, Mark Rydell and Ulu Grosbard.
One of his great strengths as a production designer was his skill as an artist: in researching and preparing a film he would produce many beautiful, dramatic and atmospheric sketches. These would help the director, director of photography and other key personnel to create the visual style and look of a film. Grimes understood the importance of light, space and texture – he put more into his sketches than most art directors – and tended to make sketches as much as or more than take photographs. He was not lavish; he liked the challenge of getting a good visual look with essentials – combining observation and imagination. Grimes was conscientious with high standards and poured himself into his work.

Biography

Stephen B. Grimes was the second of seven children of Leslie and Nancy Grimes. Leslie was an artist and cartoonist. Three of his brothers, Michael, Bruce and Colin, also worked in the British film and TV industry as art directors or assistant art directors. Colin Grimes sometimes assisted Stephen.
Grimes grew up in Haslemere, Surrey; Peldon in Essex; and Lansdowne Road, Notting Hill Gate, London. He went to St Martins School of Art, where he met and then married Kathleen Grimes. They had five children. Grimes was in the Army at the tail-end of the war.

Work as sketch artist or draughtsman

After leaving art school Grimes was told that they were employing sketch artists at Denham Studios. He went along with a portfolio of work and was taken on. Carmen Dillon took him ‘under her wing’ and he also worked alongside Oliver Messel, Vertchinsky, Paul Sheriff, Hein Heckroth, Ivor Beddoes, John Box and Ralph Brinton. From the mid-40s to mid-50s Grimes worked as a sketch artist or draughtsman on a variety of films made at Denham and Pinewood Studios including:
Grimes won an Academy Award for Best Art Direction and was nominated for two more:
;Won
;Nominated