Bo Welch Biography

After graduating from the University of Arizona’s College of Architecture, Bo Welch began working as an architect for a big firm. But in 1977, bored and disillusioned by the career path he’d chosen, he answered an ad from Universal Studios looking for set designers. His first film was Head Over Heels (1979). In 1984 he graduated to working as a production designer on Swing Shift, starring Goldie Hawn and directed by Jonathan Demme.

In 1992 Welch won a BAFTA Best Production Design Film award for Edward Scissorhands (1990), then won a Los Angeles Film Critics award as well as his first Oscar® nomination for the period film A Little Princess (1985). His second Oscar® nod came the following year with The Birdcage (1986), while his third Oscar® nomination came just a year later with Men In Black (1987). Barry Sonnenfeld, the director of Men in Black, told Welch he should try directing. Welch then directed episodes of two television shows produced by Sonnenfeld -- Secret Agent Man (2000) and The Tick (2001). Welch discovered that he not only enjoyed the work, but had a flair for it, and made his feature film directing debut soon after with Dr. Seuss' The Cat in the Hat(2003).

Filmography (director):

The Cat in the Hat (2003)