John DeCuir was born June 4, 1918, in San Francisco and he was destined to be an artist. When DeCuir stumbled upon a sign painter who offered him a paintbrush, he was immediately drawn to the artform. Although his father wanted him to be a concert violinist, he started drawing in his head while practicing violin, envisioning the art on the tiled wall. Each afternoon, he’d put his idea to paper. Eventually, he could create an image square by square, starting at the top left corner and drawing down to the bottom right with picture-perfect accuracy. He went on to use his artistic abilities as an art director and production designer in Hollywood. In the course of his career, he designed the productions of classic movies such as Cleopatra, The King and I, and South Pacific. DeCuir earned eleven Oscar nominations and won three for his work on Cleopatra, The King and I, and Hello Dolly!.

DeCuir died on October 29, 1991 and is survived by his son, John DeCuir, Jr., who is also a designer.