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Oscar-Winning Art Director Dean Tavoularis Dies at 93

4/23/2026

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Summary

Story summary

Dean Tavoularis died of natural causes on April 22, 2026, at age 93 in France.
He won the Oscar for best art direction-set decoration for *The Godfather: Part II* (1974).
He earned Oscar nominations for *Apocalypse Now* (1979) and *Tucker* (1988).
He received the Art Directors Guild Lifetime Achievement Award in 2007 and co-authored the 2022 book *Conversations With Dean Tavoularis* with Jordan Mintzer.

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Story summary

Dean Tavoularis died of natural causes on April 22, 2026, at age 93 in France.
He won the Oscar for best art direction-set decoration for *The Godfather: Part II* (1974).
He earned Oscar nominations for *Apocalypse Now* (1979) and *Tucker* (1988).
He received the Art Directors Guild Lifetime Achievement Award in 2007 and co-authored the 2022 book *Conversations With Dean Tavoularis* with Jordan Mintzer.