Wynn Thomas is an American film production designer. Thomas is particularly associated with the films of Spike Lee. Thomas has been described as the first African-American production designer in motion pictures. [1]
Wynn Thomas studied for an MFA in Theater Design at Boston University. [2] He spent many years working in theater before working alongside Richard Sylbert on The Cotton Club for director Francis Ford Coppola. [1] Thomas designed theater sets for the Negro Ensemble Company, Arena Stage of Washington, D.C., the Great Lakes Shakespeare Company, and Joe Papp's Public Theatre. [2] He was the recipient of an Academy Honorary Award at the 16th Annual Governors Awards in 2025. [3] Thomas has designed the sets for 11 films by Spike Lee. [1] He has also worked with the directors Tim Burton, Robert Townsend, Robert De Niro, and Ron Howard. [1]
Thomas's films were shown at the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) in New York from June-July 2021 as part of a retrospective of his work. [1]
MOMA praised his work as encompassing the "campy, candy-colored sci-fi sets" of Mars Attacks! to the "clubs, pron, and homes" of Malcolm X in his meticulous crafting of reality "for characters to inhabit in any era". [1]
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