Born in the vibrant city of New York in the year 1922, Paul Crifo emerged as the son of an Italian tailor, his early life a tapestry woven with the sounds and scents of the bustling Lower East Side, where he grew up alongside nine sisters and one brother. As he transitioned to the neighboring districts of Flushing and Bushwick, Crifo's formative years laid the groundwork for his future pursuits.
Directly after completing his high school education, Crifo embarked on a career in the advertising division of 20th Century Fox, where he collaborated with the then-unknown artist Saul Bass, who was merely two years his senior. Concurrently, Crifo pursued his artistic inclinations by attending art classes at Pratt Institute in the evenings.
For the majority of his professional life, Crifo worked within the art department of the renowned ad agency Diener Hauser Greenthal (later rebranded as Diener Hauser Bates),which, according to Crifo himself, held the distinction of being "the agency of record" for the majority of the major Hollywood studios.
As one of the most accomplished movie poster illustrators and art directors of the 1960s and 1970s, Crifo's contributions to the film industry were substantial, yet he remained an unsung hero. Throughout a 40-year career, he illustrated and designed as many as 140 movie posters for Hollywood studios, his work a testament to his dedication and skill. Unlike his contemporaries, such as Bob Peak or Robert McGinnis, who achieved marquee status, Crifo's name remained relatively unknown, his talent and achievements relegated to the shadows.
