Born in Moscow. Golitzen and his family fled the Russian revolution when he was 16 and ended up in Seattle. Golitzen attended the University of Washington, where he earned an architecture degree, and moved to Los Angeles. In Los Angeles, he became an assistant to a fellow Russian, MGM art director Alexander Toluboff, and he entered films in 1933 as an illustrator on MGM's QUEEN CHRISTINA. As an art director and production designer from 1935, he designed sets for major productions at various studios, finally settling at Universal, where he would become supervising art director until 1974, accumulating hundreds of screen credits.  Nominated for Interior Decoration (Black & White) 1940: FOREIGN CORRESPONDENT  Nominated for Interior Decoration (Black & White) 1941: SUNDOWN - Art Direction  Nominated for Interior Decoration (Color) 1942: ARABIAN NIGHTS - Art Direction (w. Jack Otterson)  Interior Decoration (Color) 1943: PHANTOM OF THE OPERA - Art Direction (w. John B. Goodman)  Nominated for Interior Decoration (Color) 1944: THE CLIMAX - Art Direction (w. John B. Goodman)  Art Direction/Set Decoration (Color) 1960: SPARTACUS - Art Direction (w. Eric Orbom)  Nominated for Art Direction/Set Decoration (Color) 1961: FLOWER DRUM SONG - Art Direction (w. Joseph C. Wright)  Nominated for Art Direction/Set Decoration (Color) 1962: THAT TOUCH OF MINK - Art Direction (w. Robert Clatworthy)  Art Direction/Set Decoration (Black & White) 1962: TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD - Art Direction (w. Henry Bumstead)  Nominated for Art Direction/Set Decoration (Color) 1966: GAMBIT - Art Direction (w. George C. Webb)  Nominated for Art Direction/Set Decoration 1967: THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE - Art Direction (w. George C. Webb)  Nominated for Art Direction/Set Decoration 1969: SWEET CHARITY - Art Direction (w. George C. Webb)  Nominated for Art Direction/Set Decoration 1970: AIRPORT - Art Direction (w. Preston Ames)  Nominated for Art Direction/Set Decoration 1974: EARTHQUAKE - Art Direction (w. Preston Ames) 14 nominations, 3 Awards