Robert W. "Bo" Welch III (born 1951)Jean, Erica is an American production designer, art director, film and television director, and occasional actor. He is best known for his collaborations with filmmakers such as Tim Burton and Barry Sonnenfeld, and for directing 2003's The Cat in the Hat. During his career, Welch received a BAFTA Award as well as nominations for four Academy Awards and two Primetime Emmy Awards. In 2025, he was honored with Art Directors Guild Lifetime Achievement Award.
Career Welch worked as a production designer on the Tim Burton films Edward Scissorhands,Leydon, Joe. "A Shear Delight." Houston, Texas: The Houston Post, December 14, 1990, pp. E1, E10. Beetlejuice,Thomas, Kevin. "Gleeful Grand Guignol of 'Bettlejuice.'" Los Angeles, California: The Los Angeles Times, March 30, 1988, Part VI ("Movie Guide"), pp. 1 and 10. and Batman Returns,Sharkey, Betsy. "An urban blight hits Gotham City." Alexandria, Louisiana: The Town Talk, July 6, 1992. as well as the Barry Sonnenfeld films Men in BlackEverhart, Bill. "'Men in Black': Making the World Safe from Aliens." Pittsfield, Massachusetts: The Berkshire Eagle, July 3, 1997. and Wild Wild West.Dretzka, Gary. "Production designer takes us behind the 'Wild' scenery." Chicago, Illinois: Chicago Tribune, July 9, 1999. He made his directorial debut with The Cat in the Hat, which was poorly received and earned him a nomination for the Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Director.Breznican, Anthony. "Wild World of Dr. Seuss Comes to Life in New 'Cat.'" Lebanon, Pennsylvania: Lebanon Daily News, November 20, 2003.
Welch has been nominated for four Academy Awards for Best Production Design, three shared with set decorator Cheryl Carasik and one shared with J. Michael Riva and Linda DeScenna; the four films are Men in Black, The Birdcage, and A Little Princess with Carasik, and The Color Purple with Riva and DeScenna.
Personal life Welch met Canadian actress Catherine O'Hara on the set of Beetlejuice in 1987, and they were married from 1992 until her death in 2026. They lived in the Brentwood neighborhood of Los Angeles with their two sons.
Filmography As production designer Year Film Other notes 1985 The Color Purple Nominated — Academy Award for Best Production Design 1986 Violets Are Blue 1987 The Lost Boys1988 The Accidental Tourist Beetlejuice 1989 Ghostbusters II1990 Edward Scissorhands BAFTA Award for Best Production Design Joe Versus the Volcano 1991 Grand Canyon 1992 Batman Returns Nominated — Awards Circuit Community Awards for Best Production Design 1994 Wolf 1995 A Little Princess Nominated — Academy Award for Best Production DesignNominated — Awards Circuit Community Award for Best Art Direction 1996 The Birdcage LAFCA Award for Best Production DesignNominated — Academy Award for Best Production DesignNominated — ADG Award for Excellence in Production DesignNominated — Awards Circuit Community Award for Best Art Direction 1997 Men in Black Nominated — Academy Award for Best Production DesignNominated — ADG Award for Excellence in Production Design 1998 Primary Colors 1999 Wild Wild West 2000 What Planet Are You From? 2002 Men in Black II 2008 Space Chimps 2009 Land of the Lost 2011 Thor Nominated — Saturn Award for Best Production Design 2012 Men in Black 3 2017–2019 A Series of Unfortunate Events Nominated — Emmy Award for Outstanding Production DesignNominated — ADG Award for Excellence in Production Design 2021–2022 Schmigadoon! Nominated — ADG Award for Excellence in Production DesignNominated — Emmy Award for Outstanding Production Design 2024 Beetlejuice Beetlejuice Visual consultant
As art director Year Film Other notes1983 The Star Chamber Heart of Steel1984 Swing Shift Best Defense The Hoboken Chicken Emergency 1985 The Color Purple 1986 Violets Are Blue
As director Year Film Other notes 1999–2000 Secret Agent Man Series director: 5 pilot episodes and 1 episode 2001 The Tick 2 episodes 2003 The Cat in the HatNominated — Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Director 2017–2019 A Series of Unfortunate Events 5 episodes
As actor Year Film Role Notes 2002 Men in Black II Astronaut Uncredited 2012 Men in Black 3 Pedestrian Uncredited 2014 Tiebraker Father
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