Wynn Thomas

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Wynn Thomas is an American film production designer. Thomas is particularly associated with the films of Spike Lee. Thomas has been described as the first African-American production designer in motion pictures.[1]

Biography

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Wynn Thomas studied for an MFA in Theater Design at Boston University.[2] He spent many years working in theater before working alongside Richard Sylbert on The Cotton Club for director Francis Ford Coppola.[1] Thomas designed theater sets for the Negro Ensemble Company, Arena Stage of Washington, D.C., the Great Lakes Shakespeare Company, and Joe Papp's Public Theatre.[2] He was the recipient of an Academy Honorary Award at the 16th Annual Governors Awards in 2025.[3] Thomas has designed the sets for 11 films by Spike Lee.[1] He has also worked with the directors Tim Burton, Robert Townsend, Robert De Niro, and Ron Howard.[1]

Thomas's films were shown at the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) in New York from June-July 2021 as part of a retrospective of his work.[1]

MOMA praised his work as encompassing the "campy, candy-colored sci-fi sets" of Mars Attacks! to the "clubs, pron, and homes" of Malcolm X in his meticulous crafting of reality "for characters to inhabit in any era".[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f "Wynn Thomas, Production Designer". Museum of Modern Art. Retrieved 17 November 2025.
  2. ^ a b "Wynn Thomas, Production Designer". Wynn Thomas official website. Square Space. Retrieved 17 November 2025.
  3. ^ Whipp, Glenn (17 November 2025). "Tom Cruise accepts honorary Oscar: 'Making films is not what I do. It's who I am'". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 17 November 2025.
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