Bill Gold

Bill Gold (born Jan 3, 1921) is an American graphic designer best known for his thousands of movie poster designs.

During his 60-year career he worked with some of Hollywood's greatest filmmakers, including Clint Eastwood, Alfred Hitchcock, Stanley Kubrick, Elia Kazan, Ridley Scott, and many more. Among his most famous film posters are those for Casablanca, A Clockwork Orange, and The Sting. Furthermore, Bill Gold designed (and often photographed) posters for 35 consecutive Clint Eastwood films, from Dirty Harry (1971) to Mystic River (2004).

Early career

Bill Gold was born on January 3, 1921, in New York City. He studied illustration and design at Pratt Institute in New York. He began his professional design career in 1941, in the advertising department of Warner Bros. Bill Gold became head of poster design in 1947. In 1959 his brother Charlie joined him in the business and they formed BG Charles to do the film trailers. Charlie operated BG Charles in Los Angeles, while Bill operated in New York City. In 1987 Charlie left the business and retired to Vermont. Charlie Gold died on December 25, 2003 at the age of 75. Bill Gold lives in the New York region.

Bill Gold Advertising

In 1962, Bill Gold created Bill Gold Advertising in New York City. In 1997 Bill moved the company to Stamford, CT. and continued his business, producing posters for every film Clint Eastwood produced, directed, and/or acted in, among others. In 1994 Bill was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award from The Hollywood Reporter. Richard Benjamin was the MC for the ceremony at the Directors Guild, and Clint Eastwood presented the award to Bill Gold on behalf of The Hollywood Reporter.

Bill Gold is currently an active member of the Society of Illustrators, the Art Directors Club and The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

The movie posters

All of Gold's posters have had a distinctive style. Each poster gave a film its unique identity, often creating the only lasting impression of a film that many would get. Gold's ever-changing style reflected a wide range of current tastes, trends, and approaches, yet never strayed from the tried-and-true basics of film promotion. Together, Bill Gold's poster art represents many of the most important American films since the advent of color photography. After his first film project Yankee Doodle Dandy, he collaborated with the American film industry's top film directors and film producers. Especially fruitful was Gold's relationship with the illustrator Bob Peak. Gold's work spanned seven decades and inspired numerous other designers.

The following are some of Bill Gold's better-known posters:

1940s

• Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942)
• Casablanca (1942)
• Night and Day (1946)
• The Big Sleep (1946)
• Escape Me Never (1947)
• Winter Meeting (1948)

1950s

• A Streetcar Named Desire (1951)
• Strangers on a Train (1951)
• Dial M for Murder (1954)
• The Silver Chalice (1954)
• East of Eden (1955)
• Mister Roberts (1955)
• Baby Doll (1955)
• Giant (1956)
• Lone Ranger (1956)
• Moby Dick (1956)
• The Searchers (1956)
• The Wrong Man (1956)
• A Face in the Crowd (1957)
• The James Dean Story (1957)
• The Pajama Game (1957)
• The Prince and the Showgirl (1957)
• Top Secret Affair (1957)
• The Old Man and the Sea (1958)

1960s

• Splendor in the Grass (1961)
• Gypsy (1962)
• The Music Man (1962)
• My Fair Lady (1964)
• Robin and the Seven Hoods (1964)
• Sex and the Single Girl (1964)
• The Great Race (1965)
• Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966)
• Bonnie and Clyde (1967)
• Camelot (1967)
• Cool Hand Luke (1967)
• The Fox (1967)
• Wait Until Dark (1967)
• Bullitt (1968)
• Funny Girl (1968)
• A Dream of Kings (1969)
• Illustrated Man (1969)

1970s

1980s

1990s

2000s

Collaborating directors

Collaborating producers

Best Picture Winners

• Casablanca (1942)
• My Fair Lady (1964)
• The Sting (1973)
• Unforgiven (1992)

Quotes

"Design is thinking made visual."

"You can't see through someone else's eyes."

References

This biography of a living person does not cite any references or sources. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living people that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately. (April 2009) Find sources: (Bill Gold – news, books, scholar)

External links

• Bill Gold's official site
• 1994 Hollywood Reporter Lifetime Achievement Award video