A notable production designer since the 1980s, von Brandenstein has shown versatility in creating sets for both lavish historical films and glossy contemporary fare. She was born in Arizona to Russian emigrant parents. Her education abroad climaxed with two years as an apprentice at the famed Comédie Française. Returning to the USA, von Brandenstein threw herself into the flourishing off-Broadway scene of 60s New York at the Actors Studio and LaMaMa as a seamstress, prop maker and scene painter. 1966 saw the real start of her career in design with an eight-year stay creating costumes and sets at the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco under William Ball. She also met future husband and fellow production designer Stuart Wurtzel. Von Brandenstein began in film in 1972, first getting screen credit as a set decorator on the acclaimed drama THE CANDIDATE (1972). She worked as a scenic artist and later a costume designer, with credits including BETWEEN THE LINES and SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER (both 1977). Working with Wurtzel on Joan Micklin Silver's turn-of-the-century immigrant tale HESTER STREET (1975), meanwhile, helped von Brandenstein to move into art direction. Soon she was designing sets for films as varied as the charming teen comedy-drama BREAKING AWAY (1979), and Milos Forman's lavish turn-of-the-century period recreation RAGTIME (1981), for which she received her first Oscar® nomination. By the early 80s von Brandenstein was a full-fledged production designer, assuming supervisory capacities and laying out much of the visual texture of her films. An early gem was the striking, black-and-white HEARTLAND (1980), a domestic drama set in the Old West. A second film with Forman, AMADEUS (1984), brought von Brandenstein an Oscar for her vividly detailed rendering of the age of Mozart. Her most frequent directorial collaborator, though, has been Mike Nichols. Beginning with the riveting biopic SILKWOOD (1983) and rejoining Nichols for the less successful but interesting WORKING GIRL (1988) and POSTCARDS FROM THE EDGE (1990), von Brandenstein has shown both imagination and a sense of verisimilitude in her crisp designs. Von Brandenstein has also distinguished herself with her work on Brian De Palma's THE UNTOUCHABLES (1987), the teen musical BEAT STREET (1984), the high society comedy-drama of SIX DEGREES OF SEPARATION (1993), and a return to the West for THE QUICK AND THE DEAD (1995). Other production design credits include A CHORUS LINE (1985), STATE OF GRACE (1990), BILLY BATHGATE (1991), SNEAKERS and LEAP OF FAITH (both 1992), JUST CAUSE (1995), THE PEOPLE VS. LARRY FLYNT (1996), MERCURY RISING and A SIMPLE PLAN (both 1998), MAN ON THE MOON (1999), SHAFT (2000), "South Pacific" (2001, TV), THE EMPEROR'S CLUB (2002), IT RUNS IN THE FAMILY (2003), THE ICE HARVEST (2005), ALL THE KING'S MEN and GOYA'S GHOSTS (both 2006), THE LIST and NIGHTS IN RODANTHE (both scheduled for 2008), and THE AMAZING ADVENTURES OF KAVALIER & CLAY (scheduled for 2009).  Nominated for Art Direction/Set Decoration 1981: RAGTIME - Art Direction (w. John Graysmark & Anthony Reading)  Art Direction/Set Decoration 1984: AMADEUS - Art Direction  Nominated for Achievement in Art Direction 1987: THE UNTOUCHABLES - Visual Consultant 3 nominations, 1 Award