Production Designer Sy Tomashoff Passes On

Sy Tomashoff, who served as a production designer on various soap operas, died on August 1 2019 at the age of 96.

Sy Tomasonhoff was born on September 11 1922 in New York City. He attended City College in New York City before he attended the Engineering Officer Training Program at Carnegie Tech at the start of World War II. During the war he served under General George S. Patton as a rifleman. He received the he Combat Infantryman Badge and a Bronze Star for valour. Following the war Mr. Tomashoff attended Carnegie Tech, where he received a  bachelor's degree in 1950.

His career in television began as a set decorator on the anthology series Armstrong Circle Theatre. He also served as a set decorator on The Edge of Night. He served as an art director on the primetime shows East Side/West Side and For the People. It was in 1966 that he began his stint as production director on Dark Shadows. He also served as an associate producer on the show. Over the years he served as a production director on Ryan's Hope, as well as The Bold and the Beautiful, on which he was a production designer for 13 years.

While I cannot say anything about Mr. Tomashoff's work on other soap operas, his work on Dark Shadows was incredible, particularly given the show's limited budget. This was particularly true of Collinwood Mansion, which was all carved wood, stained glass, and shadowy areas. If Dark Shadows was particularly spooky, it was largely due to Sy Tomashoff's production design.