Hein Heckroth

Hein Heckroth (14 April 1901 in Gießen - 7 July 1970 in Amsterdam) was a German painter and art director of stage and film productions.

Heckroth's career quickly skyrocketed, and, at only twenty-three years old, he began designing costumes and sets for Kurt Jooss's pioneering dance company.

After Adolf Hitler came to power in Germany, Heckroth's Jewish wife Ada, also an artist, left for Paris with their daughter, Nandi.

[3] When World War II broke out, Heckroth was imprisoned by the British government as an enemy alien and shipped to Australia.

The art director Vincent Korda noticed this, and he was soon recruited as the costume designer on Gabriel Pascal's Caesar and Cleopatra.

[1] His entry into the film world was noticed by another German emigre, Alfred Junge, who was working as the production designer for Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, the acclaimed filmmaking duo known as The Archers.

[5] His designs in "The Red Shoes" are preserved at MOMA in New York City and the British Film Institute in London.