Biography
German-born Hans Dreier worked as an architect in the Teutonic territories of South Africa before entering the film industry in 1919. German films of this period were distinguished by their modernistic, forced-perspective sets; many of these were the handiwork of the mathematically precise creativity of Hans Dreier, now a full-fledged art director. Dreier came to Hollywood in 1923, contributing immeasurably to the mittel-European "look" of the films of Lubitsch, Von Sternberg and Mamoulien; he was also able to adapt to the "American" sensibilities of DeMille and Vidor. Hans Dreier spent his entire Hollywood career at Paramount Pictures, designing sets for such notable films as Dr. Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde (1931),
One Hour With You (1932),
Lives of a Bengal Lancer (1935),
For Whom the Bell Tolls (1943),
The Big Clock (1947), and
A Place in the Sun (1951); he won three Academy Awards, the last for his work on Billy Wilder's
Sunset Boulevard (1950). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide