Art Director Boyle To Receive Honorary Oscar

Born in Los Angeles in 1909, Boyle trained as an architect. When the Depression cost him his job, Boyle found work in films as an extra.

Production designer Robert Boyle will receive an honorary Oscar during the Academy Awards ceremony on Feb. 24, organizers said Wednesday.

Boyle, 98, earned four Oscar nominations in the art direction category for his work on "North by Northwest," "Gaily, Gaily," "Fiddler on the Roof" and "The Shootist."

His nearly 100 credits include "Saboteur," "Shadow of a Doubt," "It Came From Outer Space," "The Birds," "Marnie," "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying," "In Cold Blood," "The Thomas Crown Affair," "Private Benjamin" and "Dragnet."

Born in Los Angeles in 1909, Boyle trained as an architect. When the Depression cost him his job, Boyle found work in films as an extra. In 1933, he was hired as a draftsman in the Paramount Studios art department. He went on to work on various films as a sketch artist, draftsman and assistant art director before becoming an art director at Universal in the early '40s.

The 80th Annual Academy Awards will take place at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood.