Bo Welch

Personal Info

Known ForArt
Born1951-11-30
BirthplaceYardley, Pennsylvania, USA

Bo Welch

Art

Biography

Robert W. 'Bo' Welch III is an American production designer, art director, film and television director, and occasional actor. He is best known for his collaborations with directors such as Tim Burton and Barry Sonnenfeld.

Born in Yardley, Pennsylvania, Welch worked as a production designer on three consecutive Tim Burton films (Beetlejuice, Edward Scissorhands, and Batman Returns), as well as on the Barry Sonnenfeld films Men in Black and Wild Wild West, among other films. He made his directorial debut with The Cat in the Hat, based on the beloved Dr. Seuss book of the same name, which was a critical and commercial disappointment.

He has been nominated for four Academy Awards for Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, three of them shared with set decorator Cheryl Carasik and another one with J. Michael Riva and Linda DeScenna. The four films are Men in Black, The Birdcage, and A Little Princess with Carasik and The Colour Purple with Riva and DeScenna.

Welch met actress Catherine O'Hara on the set of Beetlejuice in 1988. Wed in 1992 and with two sons Matthew (b. 1994) and Luke (b. 1997), they were together until her January 2026 death.

Description above from the Wikipedia article Bo Welch, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Filmography

Acting (9)

Production & Directing (36)

2012
Men in Black 3Production Design
6.5
2011
ThorProduction Design
6.8
2009
Land of the LostProduction Design
5.5
2008
Space ChimpsProduction Design
4.9
2003
5.4
2002
Men in Black IIProduction Design
6.4
2000
What Planet Are You From?Production Design
5.4
1999
Wild Wild WestProduction Design
5.3
1998
Primary ColorsProduction Design
6.2
1997
Men in BlackProduction Design
7.2
1996
The BirdcageProduction Design
7.0
1995
A Little PrincessSecond Unit Director
7.6
1995
A Little PrincessProduction Design
7.6
1994
WolfProduction Design
6.1
1992
Batman ReturnsProduction Design
7.0
1991
Grand CanyonProduction Design
6.4
1990
Edward ScissorhandsProduction Design
7.7
1990
Joe Versus the VolcanoProduction Design
5.8
1989
Ghostbusters IIProduction Design
6.6
1988
The Accidental TouristProduction Design
6.3
1988
BeetlejuiceProduction Design
7.4
1987
The Lost BoysProduction Design
7.1
1986
Slow BurnProduction Design
4.9
1986
Stark: Mirror ImageProduction Design
9.0
1986
Violets Are BlueProduction Design
4.7
1986
Violets Are BlueArt Direction
4.7
1985
The Color PurpleArt Direction
7.7
5.7
1984
Best DefenseArt Direction
4.3
1984
Swing ShiftArt Direction
5.6
1983
Heart of SteelProduction Design
6.8
1983
Heart of SteelArt Direction
6.8
1983
The Star ChamberArt Direction
6.0
1981
LookerSet Designer
6.2
1980
Used CarsAssistant Art Director
6.4
1979
Chilly Scenes of WinterAssistant Art Director
6.8