William S. Darling was a Hungarian-born art director who is an inductee of the American Art Directors Guild Hall of Fame.
Background
Darling was born Wilmos Bela Sándorházi (also Adalbert Sandorhazi) in Sandorhaza, Austria-Hungary. He initially studied architecture because of his father"s wishes, but later switched to the Budapest Academy of Fine Arts where he studied painting.
Career
He continued his studies on scholarship at the Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris, France. In 1910, Darling immigrated to New York City using the name Adalbert Sandorhazi. He successfully pursued a career as a portrait artist.
Around 1920 he moved to Southern California where he began work as an art designer on films and soon became the head of the art department at 20th Century Fox.
Darling worked on 61 films between 1921 and 1954. Darling was nominated six times in the category Best Art Direction.
Darling was a fellow of the American Academy of the Fine Arts. In 2012, the American Art Director"s Guild inducted Darling into its Hall of Fame.