A noted contributor to such legendary television shows as Gunsmoke and Hawaii Five-O, Emmy award-winning production designer Albert Heschong not only worked in television, but was also prolific in theater and film.
Born in Cincinnati, OH, in 1919, Heschong completed his schooling at Carnegie Melon and served in photo reconnaissance in the Pacific during World War II before breaking into show business via stage productions after the war. Soon finding work in such live television dramas as Playhouse 90, Heschong also served as art director on many other popular television staples, including The Bob Newhart Show and (in his later career) Dr. Quinn: Medicine Woman. Earning an Emmy for his art direction on the 1956 Playhouse 90 production of Requiem for a Heavyweight, Heschong would be Emmy nominated twice more for his work in the 1980s. Named head of the CBS Art Department in 1962, Heschong designed numerous shows for the network while also maintaining a demanding freelance schedule, holding his position at CBS until his eventual retirement.
Honored posthumously by the Art Directors Guild's Film Society in February 2001, Heschong died in his Encino, CA, home of a cerebral hemorrhage on March 1, 2000.
