Francis Ford Coppola paid tribute to his late friend and collaborator Dean Tavoularis, who passed away at the age of 93 on Wednesday.
“My dear friend and collaborator Dean Tavoularis has passed, a profound loss. I would be unable to list the many ways he benefited my work and my personal life,” the director shared in a Thursday statement. “He was a great artist, a great friend, a great production designer and a great man.”
One of Francis Ford Coppola’s most trusted creative collaborators, Dean Tavoularis worked with the director on a number of films, beginning with “The Godfather” in 1972 and continuing with “The Godfather Part II” and “The Conversation,” both released in 1974, and 1979’s “Apocalypse Now,” a film that would test them both. They also collaborated on “One from the Heart,” “The Outsiders,” “Rumble Fish,” “Peggy Sue Got Married,” “Gardens of Stone,” “Tucker: The Man and His Dream,” Coppola’s segment of “New York Stories” and “The Godfather Part III.”
The last film Coppola and Tavoularis collaborated on was 1996’s “Jack,” starring Robin Williams.
Born in 1932 in Lowell, Mass., Tavoularis found early work as an in-betweener in Walt Disney’s animation department, later working as a storyboard artist. Arthur Penn hired Tavoularis as “art director” for 1967’s “Bonnie and Clyde” and later 1970’s “Little Big Man,” where he was credited as a production designer.
Besides Francis Ford Coppola, Dean Tavoularis worked with an impressive list of directors, including Michelangelo Antonioni on 1970’s “Zabriskie Point,” William Friedkin on 1978’s “The Brink’s Job,” Wim Wenders on 1982’s “Hammett,” Philip Kaufman on 1993’s “Rising Sun,” Charles Shyer on 1994’s “I Love Trouble” and 1998’s “The Parent Trap,” and Roman Polanski on 1999’s “The Ninth Gate,” 2011’s “Carnage” and 2012’s “A Therapy.” “A Therapy” was Tavoularis’ last credit as a production designer.
Additionally, Dean Tavoularis worked with another Coppola—Roman Coppola, Francis’ son—on his charming 2001 drama “CQ,” which marked Roman’s directorial debut.
But Tavoularis and Francis Ford Coppola’s relationship runs deeper than their on-screen collaborations. While making “Apocalypse Now,” Tavoularis met French actress Aurore Clément, perhaps best remembered for her appearance in Wenders’ “Paris, Texas.” She appeared in a lengthy sequence set at a former French plantation in Vietnam that was ultimately cut from the final film. Tavoularis and Clément fell in love, married in 1986 and had two children.
