Bernard Robinson

Biography

Liverpool-born artist, who spent the 1930's working for Warner Brothers at Teddington Studio as a draughtsman. After gaining promotion to art director, he joined Alexander Korda at London Films, working out of Denham Studios. His career was interrupted by wartime service and did not resume fully until 1956, when he joined Hammer Films as a production designer. Robinson soon acquired a reputation for creating a lavish look, given the limited budgets and cramped facilities at Hammer's Bray studio. He built sets which could be rapidly re-built to suit different requirements. In this manner, the crypt from Dracula (1958) became the laboratory for The Revenge of Frankenstein (1958). Similarly, the same Cornish village set doubled for both The Plague of the Zombies (1966) and The Reptile (1966). Castle Dracula itself was used again as Baskerville Hall for The Hound of the Baskervilles (1959). Robinson's productive association with Hammer lasted until 1969. He died the following year.