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IMDbPro

Kristi Zea

  • Production Designer
  • Costume Designer
  • Director
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
Kristi Zea
Kristi Zea has been in the contemporary film scene for over three decades and is acclaimed for her work as a production designer, costume designer, and producer for major feature films of the 80s, 90s and 2000s.

As a production designer, Kristi has contributed to such seminal films as Martin Scorsese's New York Stories (1989), Goodfellas (Academy Award Winner 1990), and The Departed (Academy Award Winner 2006).

During this period, she worked with Jonathan Demme on production design for Married to the Mob (1988), Beloved (1998), Silence of the Lambs (Academy Award Winner 1991), Philadelphia (Academy Award Winner 1993), and Manchurian Candidate (2004). In 1996, she was the production designer for Barry Levinson's Sleepers.

Later she was the production designer for Brett Ratner's Red Dragon (2002) and Roger Michelle's Changing Lanes (2002), as well as Neil Jordan's The Brave One (2007), Kasi Lemmon's Black Nativity (2013), Nancy Meyers' The Intern (2015), and the indie film The Comedian (2016) starring Robert DeNiro. Her production design for Sam Mendes' Revolutionary Road (2008) was nominated for an Oscar. Her television production design work includes the NBC series American Odyssey in 2015 and the hospital drama New Amsterdam in 2018. She was production designer for three episodes of Netflix The Watcher (2022).

Kristi Zea began her career as a costume designer for Alan Parker's Fame (1980), Shoot the Moon (1982), and Birdy (1984), as well as James L. Brooks' Terms of Endearment (1983) and Larry Kasdan's Silverado (1985).

As a producer, she collaborated with James L. Brooks on Broadcast News (1987) and As Good As It Gets (1997) which was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture. She also produced and designed the independent film The Joneses (2009) starring Demi Moore and David Duchovny.

As a director, Kristi's recent credits include television and documentary film.

For NBCs hospital drama New Amsterdam, she directed "Five Miles West" (Season 1, Episode 18) and "Liftoff" (Season 2, Episode 17).

Kristi directed HBO's Critics Choice double-nominated Notes from the Field starring Anna Deavere Smith (2018) which is currently available on HBO's online channels.

Kristi produced and directed the documentary Everybody Knows...Elizabeth Murray which had its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2016 and is currently streaming on KinoNow. As a follow up to Everybody Knows...Elizabeth Murray, she produced and directed a short documentary Talking Pictures starring Bob Holman, Elizabeth Murray's husband and extraordinary ekphrastic poet.

She is co-directing and producing a documentary with Emmy and Oscar winner Karen Goodmen entitled On Tap starring Michela Marino Lerman (2024).
BornOctober 24, 1948
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    • Agent info
    • Resume
BornOctober 24, 1948
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
  • View contact info at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 2 Oscars
      • 3 wins & 11 nominations total

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    Known for

    Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet in Revolutionary Road (2008)
    Revolutionary Road
    7.3
    • Production Designer
    • 2008
    Leonardo DiCaprio, Jack Nicholson, and Matt Damon in The Departed (2006)
    The Departed
    8.5
    • Production Designer
    • 2006
    Robert De Niro, Ray Liotta, and Joe Pesci in Goodfellas (1990)
    Goodfellas
    8.7
    • Production Designer
    • 1990
    Jodie Foster in The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
    The Silence of the Lambs
    8.6
    • Production Designer
    • 1991

    Credits

    Edit
    IMDbPro

    Production Designer



    • Sean Penn and Dakota Johnson in Daddio (2023)
      Daddio
      6.6
      • Production Designer
      • 2023
    • The Watcher (2022)
      The Watcher
      6.5
      TV Series
      • Production Designer
      • 2022
    • Ryan Eggold in New Amsterdam (2018)
      New Amsterdam
      7.9
      TV Series
      • Production Designer
      • 2018–2019
    • A Tree a Rock a Cloud (2017)
      A Tree a Rock a Cloud
      6.7
      Short
      • Production Designer
      • 2017
    • Salamander (2017)
      Salamander
      4.6
      TV Movie
      • Production Designer
      • 2017
    • Robert De Niro in The Comedian (2016)
      The Comedian
      5.8
      • Production Designer
      • 2016
    • Robert De Niro and Anne Hathaway in The Intern (2015)
      The Intern
      7.1
      • Production Designer
      • 2015
    • Anna Friel in American Odyssey (2015)
      American Odyssey
      7.3
      TV Series
      • Production Designer
      • 2015
    • Justin Theroux in The Leftovers (2014)
      The Leftovers
      8.3
      TV Series
      • Production Designer
      • 2014
    • Black Nativity (2013)
      Black Nativity
      4.8
      • Production Designer
      • 2013
    • Matthew Broderick, Téa Leoni, Eddie Murphy, Casey Affleck, Ben Stiller, Michael Peña, and Gabourey Sidibe in Tower Heist (2011)
      Tower Heist
      6.2
      • Production Designer
      • 2011
    • Michael Douglas and Shia LaBeouf in Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps (2010)
      Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps
      6.2
      • Production Designer
      • 2010
    • David Duchovny, Demi Moore, Amber Heard, and Benjamin Hollingsworth in The Joneses (2009)
      The Joneses
      6.4
      • Production Designer
      • 2009
    • Isla Fisher in Confessions of a Shopaholic (2009)
      Confessions of a Shopaholic
      5.9
      • Production Designer (production designed by)
      • 2009
    • Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet in Revolutionary Road (2008)
      Revolutionary Road
      7.3
      • Production Designer
      • 2008

    Costume Designer



    • Justin Theroux in The Leftovers (2014)
      The Leftovers
      8.3
      TV Series
      • Costume Designer
      • 2014
    • Michelle Forbes, Billy Burke, Joelle Carter, Martin Donovan, Ted Levine, and Michael Jai White in Wonderland (2000)
      Wonderland
      7.4
      TV Series
      • Costume Designer
      • 2000
    • Tony Goldwyn, Maura Tierney, Hugh Dancy, Reid Scott, Mehcad Brooks, and Odelya Halevi in Law & Order (1990)
      Law & Order
      7.8
      TV Series
      • Costume Designer
      • 1990
    • Dead End Kids (1986)
      Dead End Kids
      2.5
      • Costume Designer
      • 1986
    • Kevin Costner, Kevin Kline, Danny Glover, and Scott Glenn in Silverado (1985)
      Silverado
      7.2
      • Costume Designer (costume design)
      • 1985
    • Nicolas Cage and Matthew Modine in Birdy (1984)
      Birdy
      7.2
      • Costume Designer
      • 1984
    • The Little Drummer Girl (1984)
      The Little Drummer Girl
      6.1
      • Costume Designer
      • 1984
    • Best Defense (1984)
      Best Defense
      3.8
      • Costume Designer
      • 1984
    • Beat Street (1984)
      Beat Street
      6.5
      • Costume Designer
      • 1984
    • Unfaithfully Yours (1984)
      Unfaithfully Yours
      6.0
      • Costume Designer
      • 1984
    • Shirley MacLaine and Debra Winger in Terms of Endearment (1983)
      Terms of Endearment
      7.4
      • Costume Designer
      • 1983
    • Nastassja Kinski in Exposed (1983)
      Exposed
      5.0
      • Costume Designer
      • 1983
    • Elizabeth McGovern and Dudley Moore in Lovesick (1983)
      Lovesick
      5.2
      • Costume Designer
      • 1983
    • Diane Keaton, Albert Finney, Tina Yothers, Viveka Davis, Tracey Gold, and Dana Hill in Shoot the Moon (1982)
      Shoot the Moon
      6.8
      • Costume Designer
      • 1982
    • Tattoo (1981)
      Tattoo
      5.3
      • Costume Designer
      • 1981

    Director



    • Ryan Eggold in New Amsterdam (2018)
      New Amsterdam
      7.9
      TV Series
      • Director
      • 2019–2020
    • American Masters (1985)
      American Masters
      8.2
      TV Series
      • Director
      • 2018
    • Notes from the Field (2018)
      Notes from the Field
      6.6
      TV Movie
      • Director
      • 2018
    • Everybody Knows... Elizabeth Murray (2016)
      Everybody Knows... Elizabeth Murray
      5.7
      • Director
      • 2016
    • Women & Men 2: In Love There Are No Rules (1991)
      Women & Men 2: In Love There Are No Rules
      5.4
      TV Movie
      • Director
      • 1991

    Personal details

    Edit
    • Official site
      • Official Site
    • Born
      • October 24, 1948
      • New York, USA
    • Spouse
      • Michael Kuhling1987 - 2004 (divorced, 1 child)
    • Children
      • Norma Kuhling
    • Publicity listings
      • 1 Article

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Mother of Norma Kuhling.

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