Richard Heinrichs (born 1954)[1] is an American production designer, effects artist, art director and film producer. He is well known for his frequent collaborations with director Tim Burton and his work on the Pirates of the Caribbean series, Ang Lee's Hulk and The Nightmare Before Christmas. He started his career on visual effects on the other world sequence in The Watcher in the Woods, Tim Burton's Hansel and Gretel and Vincent to later work on Alfred Hitchcock Presents and Nutcracker: The Motion Picture. He also worked on Frankenweenie.[2] He won the Academy Award for Best Art Direction for Sleepy Hollow at the 72nd Academy Awards,[3] and received further nominations for Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events (2004) and Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006).[4]
He also contributed conceptional designs for Tim Burton's failed Superman Lives project.
Biography
Heinrichs grew up in Baltimore. He graduated from Boston University in 1976 with a degree in fine arts.[4] Heinrichs then joined California Institute of the Arts, where he met Tim Burton and became a regular collaborator of his.[5] The two initially collaborated on The Fox and the Hound at Disney.[6]
Filmography
| Year | Title | Director | Notes | Awards |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | The Watcher in the Woods | John Hough Vincent McEveety | alien designer: Other World sequence | |
| 1982 | Vincent[6] | Tim Burton | producer additional designer, sculptor | |
| Hansel and Gretel | Tim Burton | producer stop-motion animator | ||
| 1984 | Frankenweenie [2] | Tim Burton | associate producer | |
| The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension | W. D. Richter | stop motion animator: Greenlite | ||
| 1985 | Pee-wee's Big Adventure | Tim Burton | animated effect supervisor | |
| 1986 | Alfred Hitchcock Presents: "The Jar" | Tim Burton | special effects | |
| Faerie Tale Theatre: "Aladdin and His Wonderful Lamp" | Tim Burton | models and effects | ||
| Nutcracker: The Motion Picture | Carroll Ballard | model and miniatures supervisor | ||
| 1988 | Beetlejuice | Tim Burton | visual effects consultant | |
| 1989 | Ghostbusters II[6] | Ivan Reitman | set designer | |
| 1990 | Joe Versus the Volcano | John Patrick Shanley | set designer | |
| Edward Scissorhands | Tim Burton | set designer | ||
| 1991 | To the Moon, Alice | Jessie Nelson | set designer | |
| Soapdish | Michael Hoffman | assistant art director | ||
| The Fisher King | Terry Gilliam | set designer | ||
| 1992 | Batman Returns[6] | Tim Burton | art director | |
| 1993 | Last Action Hero | John McTiernan | art director | |
| The Nightmare Before Christmas | Henry Selick | visual consultant | ||
| 1995 | Tall Tale | Jeremiah S. Chechik | art director | |
| Fallen Angels | various | production designer | Nominated - CableACE Awards≥ for Art Direction in a Dramatic Special or Series/Movie or Miniseries | |
| 1996 | Fargo[7] | Joel Coen, Ethan Coen | production designer | Nominated - 20/20 Awards for Art Direction |
| 1998 | The Big Lebowski[7] | Joel Coen, Ethan Coen | production designer | |
| 1999 | Sleepy Hollow | Tim Burton | production designer | Won - Art Directors Guild Award for Excellence in Production Design for a Feature Film Won - Awards Circuit Community Awards for Best Art Direction Won - Las Vegas Film Critics Society Awards for Best Production Direction Won - Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards for Best Production Direction Won - Online Film & Television Association for Best Production Direction Won - Satellite Award for Best Art Direction and Production Design |
| 2000 | Bedazzled[5] | Harold Ramis | production designer | |
| 2001 | Planet of the Apes | Tim Burton | production designer | |
| 2003 | Hulk[4] | Ang Lee | production designer | |
| 2004 | Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events | Brad Silberling | production designer actor | Won - Art Directors Guild Award for Excellence in Production Design for a Feature Film Nominated - International Cinephile Society Awards for Best Production Design Nominated - Online Film & Television Association for Best Production Design |
| 2006 | Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest | Gore Verbinski | production designer | Nominated - Art Directors Guild Award for Excellence in Production Design for a Feature Film |
| 2007 | Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End | Gore Verbinski | production designer | Nominated - Art Directors Guild Award for Excellence in Production Design for a Feature Film |
| 2010 | The Wolfman | Joe Johnston | production designer | |
| 2011 | Captain America: The First Avenger[7] | Joe Johnston | production designer | Nominated - Art Directors Guild Award for Excellence in Production Design for a Feature Film |
| 2012 | Dark Shadows | Tim Burton | production designer | |
| 2012 | Frankenweenie | Tim Burton | production designer | Nominated - Annie Awards for Best Production Design |
| 2014 | Big Eyes | Tim Burton | production designer | |
| 2017 | Star Wars: The Last Jedi[8][7] | Rian Johnson | production designer | Nominated - Art Directors Guild Award for Excellence in Production Design for a Feature Film Nominated - Awards Circuit Community Awards for Best Art Direction Nominated - Georgia Film Critics Association for Best Art Direction Nominated - Online Film & Television Association for Best Production Design |
| 2019 | Dumbo[9] | Tim Burton | production designer | Nominated - Art Directors Guild for Excellence in Production Design Award |
| 2020 | Prop Culture | Jason C. Henry | Himself | |
| 2022 | Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery[6] | Rian Johnson | production designer | |
| 2025 | The Gorge | Scott Derrickson | production designer | |
| 2025 | Wake Up Dead Man | Rian Johnson | production designer |
Accolades
Academy Awards
| Year | Nominated work | Category | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Sleepy Hollow | Best Art Direction | |
| 2004 | Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events | ||
| 2006 | Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest |
British Academy Film Awards
| Year | Nominated work | Category | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Sleepy Hollow | Best Production Design | |
| 2006 | Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest | ||
| 2014 | Big Eyes |
Saturn Awards
| Year | Nominated work | Category | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | The Wolfman | Saturn Award for Best Production Design | |
| 2011 | Captain America: The First Avenger | ||
| 2012 | Dark Shadows | ||
| 2017 | Star Wars: The Last Jedi | ||
| 2019 | Dumbo |
References
- ^ "Rick Heinrichs". The Museum of Modern Art. Retrieved 2026-02-12.
- ^ Radish, Christina (2012-05-12). "Rick Heinrichs FRANKENWEENIE Interview". Collider. Retrieved 2026-02-12.
- ^ "The 72nd Academy Awards - 2000". The Oscars. Retrieved 25 November 2024.
- ^ Brown, Joel (2017-12-08). "Star Wars: The Last Jedi Production Designer Speaks at COM". Boston University. Retrieved 2026-02-12.
- ^ "From the drafting board: Rick Heinrichs". Variety. 2000-02-24. Retrieved 2026-02-12.
- ^ Chalufour, Marc (2022-06-14). "Rick Heinrichs’ Magical Worlds | College of Fine Arts". www.bu.edu. Retrieved 2026-02-12.
- ^ Lammers, Tim (2017-12-21). "Getting real with 'Last Jedi' production designer Rick Heinrichs". KSAT. Retrieved 2026-02-12.
- ^ Desowitz, Bill (2015-01-14). "Production Designer Rick Heinrichs Captures San Francisco Through ‘Big Eyes’". IndieWire. Retrieved 2026-02-12.
- ^ Mk, Ben (2019-07-08). "Interview: Production Designer Rick Heinrichs on Making ‘Dumbo’ Soar". Retrieved 2026-02-12.
External links
- Rick Heinrichs at IMDb