Val Strazovec or Valerián Stražovec, born in the Slovak town of Zlaté Moravce, was a significant name in the world of film and television. He died on August 17, 2020, in Canada. His nephew informed The Slovak Spectator about his passing.
Read more about Val Stražovec:From refugee to top production designer in Canada and Hollywood Read more Stražovec belonged among the top production designers in Canada and Hollywood. He co-founded the production design institute of the CBC. His most notable works are the Muppets movies, for which he won one Emmy Award.
He studied architecture in Slovakia and in the very first year, a professor opened a group for everyone interested in theatre, offering a look at the workings of the stage and behind the scenes. Stražovec joined immediately.
After two years of architecture, he switched to the Academy of Performing Arts to study stage design. In the end, he finished both degrees, architecture and stage design. Later, he became the first head architect of Slovak Television.
Canada became home after 1968
The situation changed in 1968 after Czechoslovakia was invaded by the Warsaw Pact armies (except Romanian troops). Stražovec and his family fled to Vienna, but Austria did not become their home. The Toronto-based Canadian state television CBC hired Stražovec to work for them.
Our emigrants’ stories: lessons in humanity Read more During his career, Stražovec worked on several dozen films and TV shows as a production designer. His work brought him one Emmy Award.
The peak of his career came in 1988 when he was asked to design the opening and closing ceremonies of the Winter Olympics in Calgary.
Valerián Val Stražovec
July 1, 1933, Slovakia – August 17, 2020, Canada
25. Aug 2020 at 10:41 | Compiled by Spectator staff
