James J. Murakami, an art director, production designer and set designer on numerous film and television projects, died Dec. 15 at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles. He was 91 and suffered complications from a fall, according to his wife.
Murakami earned an Emmy for his work on HBO’s Deadwood and an Oscar nomination for the film Changeling, the latter one of many films he worked on with director Clint Eastwood.
Among his many credits: The Godfather Part II (1974), Apocalypse Now (1979), One From the Heart (1981), Peggy Sue Got Married (1986), Unforgiven (1992), Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil (1997) and Letters From Iwo Jima (2006). Also, he was the production designer on Eastwood’s Gran (2008), Changeling (2008), Invictus (2009), Hereafter (2010), J. Edgar (2011), Trouble With the Curve (2012), Jersey Boys (2014), American Sniper (2014) and Sully (2016).
Murakami received a pair of Emmy nominations for his work on HBO’s Deadwood, winning in 2005.
Murakami retired in 2016 and two years later received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Art Directors Guild.
In addition to his wife, survivors include his daughter, Patricia, and stepchildren John and Sandee.
His obituary was first published in The Hollywood Reporter.
