The Bold and the Beautiful

The Bold And The Beautiful Production Designer Dead At 96

Published by

Michael Maloney

5 years ago

Sy Tomashoff, who brought to life many of the famous soap sets seen on your favorite daytime dramas, including The Bold And The Beautiful, has passed away at the age of 96.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, Tomashoff died on Sunday, July 28 at his Los Feliz home in Los Angeles.

A seven-time Daytime Emmy winner, Tomashoff worked on Dark Shadows, The Edge Of Night, Ryan’s Hope, Santa Barbara, and BB.

“Meeting Sy and getting to work with him was the highlight of my Art Direction career,” wrote Jack Forrestel, BB’s production designer. “For 13 years we toiled away together on [BB], ‘Making the world safe for soaps,’ as he liked to say.

“Before I met Sy, I had worked for several years honing my craft but then he quietly taught me how to do the job correctly and for that and his personal guidance in other matters closer to my heart, I will be forever grateful. Bye-now old friend and safe passage to wherever your great spirit will go next.”

Tomashoff earned his first Daytime Emmy for designed sets on Ryan’s Hope in 1981. After then, he moved to the West Coast and created sets for Santa Barbara and Capitol.

Next came The Bold and the Beautiful, where Tomashoff designed the show’s original sets, including the Forrester mansion, which is still seen today. Tomashoff won five Daytime Emmys for his work on BB, his first for that show came in 1988.

A native of New York City, Tomashoff attended Curtis High School on Staten Island and New York’s City College. He attended the Engineering Officer Training Program at Carnegie Tech.

Tomashoff served as a rifleman under General George S. Patton. He was awarded both the Combat Infantryman Badge and a Bronze Star for valor.

After the war, Tomashoff earned a bachelor’s degree in architecture from Carnegie Teach and then began work as a scene artist for ABC in New York.

He is survived by his wife, Naomi, to whom he was married for 67 years; a sister, Judith; two daughters, Ivy and Liz; a son-in-law, Jeff; grandchildren, nieces, and a nephew. Soap Hub sends its deep condolences to Tomashoff’s family and friends at this time.