Robert W. "Bo" Welch III is an American production designer, art director, film and television director and occasional actor. He is best known for his collaborations with directors such as Tim Burton and Barry Sonnenfeld.

Bo Welch
Welch in 2024
Born
Robert W. Welch III

Occupation(s)Production designer, art director, director, actor
Years active1979–present
Spouse
(m. 1992)
Children2

Early life

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Welch was born in Yardley, Pennsylvania.[1]

Career

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Welch worked as a production designer on the Tim Burton films Edward Scissorhands, Beetlejuice and Batman Returns, as well as on the Barry Sonnenfeld films Men in Black and Wild Wild West, among other films. He made his directorial debut with The Cat in the Hat, based on the beloved Dr. Seuss book of the same name, which was a critical and commercial disappointment. He has been nominated for four Academy Awards for Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, three of them shared with set decorator Cheryl Carasik and another one with J. Michael Riva and Linda DeScenna. The four films are Men in Black, The Birdcage, and A Little Princess with Carasik,[2] and The Color Purple with Riva and DeScenna.

Personal life

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Welch met actress Catherine O'Hara on the set of Beetlejuice in 1988.[3] They married in 1992 and have two sons: Matthew (b. 1994) and Luke (b. 1997).[4]

Filmography

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As production designer
Year Film Other notes
1985 The Color Purple Nominated — Academy Award for Best Production Design
1986 Violets Are Blue
1987 The Lost Boys
1988 The Accidental Tourist
Beetlejuice
1989 Ghostbusters II
1990 Edward Scissorhands BAFTA Award for Best Production Design
Joe Versus the Volcano
1991 Grand Canyon
1992 Batman Returns Nominated — Awards Circuit Community Awards for Best Production Design
1994 Wolf
1995 A Little Princess Nominated — Academy Award for Best Production Design
Nominated — Awards Circuit Community Award for Best Art Direction
1996 The Birdcage LAFCA Award for Best Production Design
Nominated — Academy Award for Best Production Design
Nominated — ADG Award for Excellence in Production Design
Nominated — Awards Circuit Community Award for Best Art Direction
1997 Men in Black Nominated — Academy Award for Best Production Design
Nominated — ADG Award for Excellence in Production Design
1998 Primary Colors
1999 Wild Wild West
2000 What Planet Are You From?
2002 Men in Black II
2008 Space Chimps
2009 Land of the Lost
2011 Thor Nominated — Saturn Award for Best Production Design
2012 Men in Black 3
2017–2019 A Series of Unfortunate Events Nominated — Emmy Award for Outstanding Production Design
Nominated — ADG Award for Excellence in Production Design
2021 Schmigadoon! Nominated — ADG Award for Excellence in Production Design
2022 Nominated — Emmy Award for Outstanding Production Design
2024 Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (visual consultant)


As art director
Year Film Other notes
1983 The Star Chamber
Heart of Steel
1984 Swing Shift
Best Defense
The Hoboken Chicken Emergency
1985 The Color Purple
1986 Violets Are Blue
As director
Year Film Other notes
1999–2000 Secret Agent Man Series director: 5 pilot episodes and 1 episode
2001 The Tick 2 episodes
2003 The Cat in the Hat Nominated — Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Director
2017–2019 A Series of Unfortunate Events 5 episodes
As actor
Year Film Role Notes
2002 Men in Black II Astronaut Uncredited
2012 Men in Black 3 Pedestrian Uncredited
2014 Tiebraker Father

References

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  1. ^ "Bo Welch". www.tcm.com. Retrieved August 6, 2023.
  2. ^ "The 68th Academy Awards (1996) Nominees and Winners". oscars.org. Retrieved 2011-08-05.
  3. ^ "How The Creative And Unusual World Of Tim Burton's 'Beetlejuice' Became A Beautiful Reality". UPROXX. May 4, 2015. Retrieved September 8, 2017.
  4. ^ "Catherine O'Hara". Yahoo! Movies. Retrieved August 12, 2010.
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