Nathan H. Juran

Naftuli "Nathan" Hertz Juran (September 1, 1907, Gura Humorului - October 23, 2002, Palos Verdes Estates, California, USA) was an American film art director, and later film director. As an art director, he won the Academy Award in 1942 for How Green Was My Valley, along with Richard Day and Thomas Little. His work on The Razor's Edge in 1946 also received an Academy nomination. In the 1950s, he began to direct, and was known for science fiction and fantasy films such as Attack of the 50 Foot Woman. He was also the brother of quality guru Joseph M. Juran.

Life and career

Juran was born to a Jewish family in Gura Humorului, Romania. In 1912, he emigrated to America with his family, settling in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He earned a bachelor's degree in Architecture from the University of Minnesota. He also spent a summer studying at the École des Beaux-Arts before earning a master's degree in Architecture from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. With the construction industry at a standstill due to the Great Depression, Juran moved to Los Angeles, where he landed a job as a draftsman in the art department at RKO Radio Pictures. He later moved to 20th Century Fox, where he became art director on How Green Was My Valley.

Juran enlisted in the Navy during the Second World War and was assigned to first the Office of Strategic Services and then to the Royal Air Force Intelligence Center.

He began his career as an art director, winning an Oscar for his work on How Green Was My Valley (1941), and a nomination for The Razor's Edge (1946). His other credits in the field included Charley's Aunt (1941), Winchester '73 (1950), and Harvey (1950).

As a director, his best-known efforts were in the science fiction and fantasy genres, often with producer Charles H. Schneer, among which were Attack of the 50 Foot Woman, 20 Million Miles To Earth, The Brain from Planet Arous, Jack the Giant Killer, The Deadly Mantis, The 7th Voyage of Sinbad and First Men in the Moon (based on the novel by H.G. Wells). His television work included instalments of Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, Lost in Space, and Land of the Giants.

In 1999, he was honored with the Lifetime Career Award by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films, USA.

He died at the age of 95 in Palos Verdes, California.

Partial Filmography

As art director

• How Green Was My Valley (1942)
• The Razor's Edge (1946)

As director

• The Black Castle (1952)
• Law and order (1953)
• Drums Across the River (1954)
• The Deadly Mantis (1957)
• 20 Million Miles to Earth (1957)
• The 7th Voyage of Sinbad (1958)
• Good Day for a Hanging (1958)
• The Brain from Planet Arous (1958)
• Attack of the 50 Foot Woman (1958)
• Jack the Giant Killer (1962)
• Boy Who Caught a Crook (1962)
• Siege of the Saxons (1963)
• First Men in the Moon (1964)
• Land Raiders (1969)
• The Boy Who Cried Werewolf (1973)