Henry Bumstead, a versatile art director, was a master of outdoor set design, particularly under the direction of Alfred Hitchcock, George Roy Hill, and Clint Eastwood. Born to a sporting goods store manager and a schoolteacher, Henry inherited both athletic and artistic inclinations.
As the captain of his high school football team, he received a four-year football scholarship to the University of Southern California. However, a back injury sustained during a match forced him to re-evaluate his career options and concentrate on his arts degree.
With excellent grades in drawing and architecture at USC, Henry was hired by RKO as an apprentice draughtsman in 1935. After two years, he was engaged by Paramount as a sketch artist, model maker, and assistant art director.
Henry gained valuable experience under the tutelage of Hans Dreier, one of Hollywood's foremost experts in production design. He served in the U.S. Navy during World War II and, upon his return, graduated to full art director, beginning with the motion picture Saigon in 1947.
Henry's early work for Hitchcock, which included The Man Who Knew Too Much in 1956 and Vertigo in 1958, showcased his keen sense for authentic detail. His work on Vertigo, which included over 50 individual sets, was particularly notable for its textured and evocative outdoor design.
After leaving Paramount in 1960, Henry joined Universal on a long-term contract, working on a number of prestigious assignments, including To Kill a Mockingbird, The War Lord, and Tobruk. He also collaborated with George Roy Hill on The Sting and with Clint Eastwood on numerous films, including Joe Kidd, High Plains Drifter, and Unforgiven.
Throughout his career, Henry was known for his meticulous attention to detail and his ability to evoke a sense of time and place through his set design. He was inducted into the Art Directors Hall of Fame in 2007 and remained active in the film industry until his passing.
