E. Jay Krause, the Emmy-winning art director and set designer whose work has colored the golden age of variety television, died in Los Angeles, Calif. yesterday at the age of 98, Deadline has learned.
Over the course of his three decade-spanning career from the 1950s through 1980s, Krause has designed sets for over 180 productions, earning acclaim for his inventive and elegant visual style. He was behind the look of TV specials featuring iconic performances by the likes of Bob Hope, Diana Ross, Mitzi Gaynor, the Jacksons and Rudolf Nureyev.
His original sets for NBC‘s ’60s-era daytime game show The Hollywood Squares was immortalized at NBC Studios, while his ’70s-style psychedelic patterns emblematic of sketch comedy show Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In have cemented their place in the pop culture lexicon. He received two Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Art Direction: one for Mitzi’s 2nd Special in 1970 and another for Diana! in 1972.
In 1983, Krause founded Omega Cinema Props, which grew to become one of the industry’s largest independent prop houses, “offering an unlimited selection of residential, institutional and commercial props including furniture, accessories and lighting fixtures of all periods and styles,” per its website. Alongside his wife Doris, Krause spent more than three decades sourcing rare and distinctive set dressing from around the world, curating a collection that remains integral to film and television productions today.
Known to friends and family simply as Jay, Krause was a native Angeleno. He served with distinction in the U.S. Navy during World War II, taking part in the harrowing 82-day Battle of Okinawa. After his military service, he pursued his passion for design at Pepperdine University and began his professional career at NBC in 1951.
He is survived by his daughter and son-in-law, Carson and Barry Pritchard, two grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
