About Alan MacDonald
Lived 1956 – 2017 (aged 60–61). Alan MacDonald was a British production designer and director.
Alan MacDonald (c. 1956 – 30 August 2017) was a British production designer. He was best known for his work on The Queen, which earned him nominations for the Art Directors Guild Award for Excellence in Production Design for a Contemporary Film and British Independent Film Award for Best Technical Achievement, and for the Rajasthan-set The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2012) which earned him a nomination for the Art Directors Guild Award for Excellence in Production Design for a Contemporary Film.
In 2013, he designed the sets for the Academy Award-nominated film Philomena. He had also been a production designer for a number of advertisements for global firms including Coca-Cola, Levi's, Microsoft, Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagen, and was the theatrical designer for Kylie Minogue's 2002 "KylieFever2002" tour.
Filmography Absurd (1989) (short) Tunnel of Love (1991) (short) Man to Man (1992) Remembrance of Things Fast: True Stories Visual Lies (1994; Art Director) Love Is the Devil: Study for a Portrait of Francis Bacon (1998) Rogue Trader (1998) Nora (2000) The Jacket (2005) Kinky Boots (2005) The Queen (2006) The Edge of Love (2008) Chéri (2009) Tamara Drewe (2010) The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2012) Philomena (2013) The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel 2 (2015) The Program (2015) Sing Street (2016) Victoria & Abdul (2017) Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again (2018)
Personal life and death
He suffered from bipolar disorder. MacDonald died by suicide at his Covent Garden home on 31 August 2017, after spending two weeks as an in-patient at the private Nightingale Hospital at a cost of £20,000. His last two film credits, Victoria & Abdul (2017) and Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again (2018), were dedicated to his memory.
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Important facts
People in Alan MacDonald's life
Named in this biography and alive at the same time
Contemporaries
People whose lives overlapped Alan MacDonald's
Frequently asked questions
Who was Alan MacDonald?
production designer (c. 1956 - 2017)
When was Alan MacDonald born?
Alan MacDonald was born in 1956.
When did Alan MacDonald die?
Alan MacDonald died on 30 August 2017 in Oxfordshire.
What was Alan MacDonald's occupation?
Alan MacDonald was a production designer and director.
What nationality was Alan MacDonald?
Alan MacDonald was British.
Sources & further reading
· DBpedia: Alan MacDonald (production designer)
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Alan MacDonald. https://biography.guide/alan-macdonald/
MLA: "Alan MacDonald." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/alan-macdonald/.
Chicago: "Alan MacDonald." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/alan-macdonald/.
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