Bo Welch

Robert W. 'Bo' Welch III is an American production designer, art director, film and television director, and occasional actor. He is best known for his collaborations with directors such as Tim Burton and Barry Sonnenfeld. Born in Yardley, Pennsylvania, Welch worked as a production designer on three consecutive Tim Burton films (Beetlejuice, Edward Scissorhands, and Batman Returns), as well as on the Barry Sonnenfeld films Men in Black and Wild Wild West, among other films. He made his directorial debut with The Cat in the Hat, based on the beloved Dr. Seuss book of the same name, which was a critical and commercial disappointment. He has been nominated for four Academy Awards for Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, three of them shared with set decorator Cheryl Carasik and another one with J. Michael Riva and Linda DeScenna. The four films are Men in Black, The Birdcage, and A Little Princess with Carasik and The Colour Purple with Riva and DeScenna. Welch met actress Catherine O'Hara on the set of Beetlejuice in 1988. Wed in 1992 and with two sons Matthew (b. 1994) and Luke (b. 1997), they were together until her January 2026 death.