Goodbye to Gil Parrondo, great master of art direction in cinema

The set designer of legendary films such as 'Lawrence of Arabia', 'El Cid' and 'Doctor Zhivago' dies at the age of 95 while still active.

Manuel Gil Parrondo, the only Spaniard to win two Oscars and also recognized with four Goyas, died this Saturday at the age of 95. Since the great master of artistic direction in cinema took his first professional steps in the late 1930s until now, on his way to turning a century of life and having just finished his work on the film Cold Skin (not yet released), Parrondo took the figure of the decorator much further than one could imagine.

His work as a decorator, as he liked to define himself as an art director, earned him two Oscars and four Goyas.

Parrondo was born in Luarca (Asturias) in 1921, and at just eighteen years old he began working in the film industry as a decoration assistant. In 1951 he was in charge of the art direction of Antonio del Amo's film days after days (1951) since then leaving his personal mark on countless productions.

We can find his signature both in Spanish films and in large American productions such as El Cid (1961), Lawrence of Arabia (1962) o Spartacus (1960). Three-time Oscar nominee, he won the coveted statuette twice for Patton (1970) y Nicolás and Alejandra (1971) as well as four Goya awards for Lullaby (1994), A story from then (2000), Tiovivo c. 1950 (2004) y Ninette (2005).

Although he worked hand in hand with numerous directors such as Jaime Chávari, Pilar Miró or Mario Camus, it was with José Luis Garci with whom he collaborated the most.