A native of New York City, Michelson worked with the Bureau of Engraving and Printing in Washington, D.C. after graduating from high school. He then served as a bombardier-navigator in the U.S. Air Force during World War II, flying more than 40 missions over Germany. After the war, Michelson became an illustrator. He worked on magazines while attending the Art Students League of New York before moving on to Chicago and Los Angeles, where he illustrated movie posters. He ultimately became an illustrator for Columbia Pictures before being traded to Paramount Pictures, where he worked as illustrator and storyboard artist on The Ten Commandments, among other films. He then worked as a storyboard artist on Ben-Hur for MGM and Spartacus for Universal Pictures. Throughout the remainder of the 1960s, he worked as either illustrator or storyboard artist on such classic films as West Side Story, The Birds, Cleopatra, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? and The Graduate. During the 1970s, he was an illustrator for films like Fiddler on the Roof and Cross of Iron; in the 1980s, he worked on Firestarter and The Cotton Club and was a visual consultant on the 1986 remake of The Fly. His career as an art director started in television, beginning with NBC's Matinee Theatre and moving on to such programs as Gomer Pyle, USMC and The Andy Griffith Show. He would go on to serve as art director on several films, and also began working as production designer with the 1971 Cannes Film Festival Jury Grand Prize-winning filmJohnny Got His Gun, all the while continuing his career as an illustrator and storyboard artist. Michelson worked on two films for Mel Brooks, first as production designer on History of the World, Part I and later as art director for Spaceballs. Michelson's other art direction credits include the films Mommie Dearest, Planes, Trains & Automobiles and Dick Tracy. He also served as a consultant for producerDanny DeVito on films such as Hoffa and Death to Smoochy.
Death and legacy
Michelson died at the Motion Picture & Television Fund retirement home, following a long illness, at the age of 87. The documentary film, Harold and Lillian: A Hollywood Love Story, describes the life and career of Michelson and his wife, Lillian, who became an admired and respected film researcher.
