Ferdinando Scarfiotti; Won Oscar for Film Art Direction

Ferdinando (Nando) Scarfiotti, the production designer who won an Academy Award for art direction of the epic 1987 film “The Last Emperor,” has died. He was 53.

Scarfiotti died April 30 in Los Angeles after a brief illness, spokesman Henry Penner said.

The Italian designer was responsible for the look of such stylish films as “Last Tango in Paris,” “Scarface,” “The Sheltering Sky” and 1992’s “Toys,” for which he was also nominated for an Oscar.

“Scarfiotti was the most influential film designer of the last three decades,” said director Paul Schrader, who worked with him on “American Gigolo” and other films. “His work has influenced an entire generation of directors and designers.”

Legendary producer David O. Selznick coined the hazy term “production designer” in the 1930s to describe the tasks of William Cameron Menzies on “Gone With the Wind.” The job is both conceptual and practical, involving coordination of art draftsmen, set designers and decorators to make color, light, locations and props reinforce a script.

“I thought (Scarfiotti) was one of the best production designers that ever was,” said director Barry Levinson, who had worked with Scarfiotti on “Toys.”

Although he won his Oscar for “The Last Emperor,” a period piece filmed in Beijing’s historic Forbidden City, Scarfiotti championed work on modern settings.

“The past is there to be studied and seen,” he told The Times in 1990, “but the present is a changing reality. The challenge is to make a statement and look at it with a fresh eye.”

Scarfiotti’s most recent work was on the not-yet-released film “Love Affair,” starring Warren Beatty and his wife, Annette Bening.

Born near Rome, Scarfiotti studied architecture at the University of Rome. Encouraged by Italian director and family friend Luchino Visconti, he combined his interests in theater and architecture to become a production designer.

He worked with Visconti on several operas, including “La Traviata” in Spoleto, Italy, and “Der Rosenkavalier” at London’s Covent Garden, and on the film “Death in Venice.” The film won him Britain’s equivalent of an Academy Award.

In 1969, Scarfiotti began working with director Bernardo Bertolucci on such films as “The Conformist,” “Last Tango in Paris” and ultimately “The Last Emperor,” which won nine Academy Awards.

The tall and elegant Scarfiotti, known for his wit and personal style, also put his visual stamp on films for Billy Wilder, Peter Bogdanovich, Brian De Palma and Michael Apted.

Scarfiotti is survived by his mother, Luisa of Rome; his longtime companion, Nicolas Valle; a brother, Emanuele; a sister, Giovanna DeVergottini, and a niece and nephew.

The family has asked that any memorial donations be made to the Jeffrey Goodman Special Care Clinic.