Wayne Fitzgerald facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Wayne Fitzgerald
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Fitzgerald in 1987
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| Born | March 19, 1930 Los Angeles, California, U.S.
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| Died | September 30, 2019 (aged 89) Whidbey Island, Washington, U.S.
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| Occupation | Television and motion picture title designer |
| Years active | 1956–2003 |
Wayne Fitzgerald (March 19, 1930 – September 30, 2019) was an American film title designer. He created the opening and closing credit sequences for movies and TV shows. Imagine the cool graphics and music you see before a film starts – that was his job!
Over his 55-year career, Wayne Fitzgerald designed nearly 500 title sequences. He worked for many famous directors. These included Francis Ford Coppola, John Huston, and Quentin Tarantino. His work helped set the mood for countless stories.
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Designing Movie Titles
Wayne Fitzgerald was born in Los Angeles. He graduated from Art Center College of Design in 1951. After college, he started working at Pacific Title & Art Studio. His first big movie title design was for Raintree County in 1957.
He worked at Pacific Title for 17 years. During this time, he became the head of the art and design department. Pacific Title created all the movie titles for big studios. These included Warner Bros., MGM, and 20th Century Fox. They also worked for Paramount Pictures and Columbia Pictures.
Back then, title designers often didn't get credit for their work. So, Fitzgerald didn't get his name shown for many early designs. Some of these famous films include Pillow Talk (1959) and My Fair Lady (1964). He also designed titles for early TV shows. These were Maverick (1957) and The Beverly Hillbillies (1962).
Setting the Mood with Titles
Fitzgerald's titles did more than just show names. They often helped set the mood for the movie. For The Music Man, he led a team of 35 people. They built sets and animated musical instruments. He then filmed and edited the entire sequence.
In the movie Max Dugan Returns (1983), the main character doesn't appear for a long time. Fitzgerald's titles, with animation by Bob Kurtz, introduced the character. They gave viewers a hint of what he was like.
For Bonnie and Clyde (1967), Fitzgerald used old photos. He combined them with quick cuts and sounds. This style matched the film's fast-paced editing. The photos showed the look of the 1930s. They also referenced how Bonnie and Clyde sent their own photos to the press. The only sound at first was a camera click.
Starting His Own Company
While working on Bonnie and Clyde, actor Warren Beatty encouraged Fitzgerald. He told him to start his own business. So, Fitzgerald left Pacific Title. He then started his own company, Wayne Fitzgerald FilmDesign.
After that, he designed titles for many more famous movies. These include Chinatown (1974), Nine to Five (1980), and Total Recall (1990). Besides opening titles, he also filmed and edited montage scenes. He did this for movies like Rocky III and Tootsie (both 1982).
Fitzgerald also kept designing titles for popular TV shows. Some of these were Dallas (1978) and Matlock (1986). He even won an Emmy Award in 1987 for The Bronx Zoo.
He also worked on daytime soap operas. He designed titles for The Bold and the Beautiful (1987) and The Guiding Light (1991). He won Emmys for these shows too. In 2002, he worked with his son, Eric, who is also a title designer.
In 1993, he briefly joined a digital design company called Pittard-Sullivan. It was renamed Pittard-Sullivan-Fitzgerald. After 1995, he restarted his own company, Wayne Fitzgerald FilmDesign, Inc. In 1995, Fitzgerald also designed the logo for the Motion Picture Editors Guild.
Personal Life
Wayne Fitzgerald was a member of the Directors Guild of America. He also served as a governor for the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. This group represents title designers. He was also a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
He often gave talks at universities like UCLA and AFI. He also taught at Art Center College of Design.
Wayne Fitzgerald passed away on September 30, 2019, at the age of 89.
Selected Filmography
Here are some of the many movies Wayne Fitzgerald designed titles for:
From Pacific Title (1956–1968)
- Raintree County (1957)
- Pillow Talk (1959)
- The Music Man (1962)
- My Fair Lady (1964)
- Bonnie and Clyde (1967)
- The Graduate (1967)
- Rosemary's Baby (1968)
From Wayne Fitzgerald/FilmDesign (1968–1993)
- Chinatown (1974)
- The Godfather: Part II (1974)
- One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975)
- Grease (1978)
- Apocalypse Now (1979)
- Nine to Five (1980)
- Tootsie (1982)
- Footloose (1984)
- The Breakfast Club (1985)
- Total Recall (1990)
- Ghost (1990)
- Basic Instinct (1992)
- Scent of a Woman (1992)
From Pittard/Sullivan/Fitzgerald (1993–1995)
- Groundhog Day (1993)
- Maverick (1994)
- Waterworld (1995)
From Wayne Fitzgerald/Filmdesign (1995–2003)
- The Rainmaker (1997)
- Hollywood Homicide (2003)
Awards
Wayne Fitzgerald won several awards for his amazing work. He received a Primetime Emmy in 1987 for The Bronx Zoo. He also won Daytime Emmys for The Bold and the Beautiful in 1987 and The Guiding Light in 1992.
He was also nominated for other Daytime Emmy Awards. These included nominations for Days of Our Lives in 1994 and again for The 50th Anniversary Season of The Guiding Light in 2003.
