Jim Bissell was born in Charleston, South Carolina, the only child of Elizabeth and James Bissell. In his youth, he moved around and traveled with his father from Hawaii to Bermuda and so many places in between. After he graduated high school Bissell attended University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill working in the theater department. In 1973 Bissell graduated with a BFA and decided to make it New York. He made it by working on low-budget features and commercials.
Career
Bissell soon moved to Los Angeles to exploit his talent in the entertainment capital of the world. He found steady work on the set of "Palmerstown, U.S.A.". In 1980 he was awarded an Emmy for his work on the show, and around that time he was discovered by Steven Spielberg while he was shooting on the same lot. Bissell would later receive a BAFTA nomination for production design on Spielberg's next project "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial". While working on "Jumanji" Bissell met his wife Martha. Bissell's collaboration with George Clooney began in 2002 with "Confessions Of A Dangerous Mind", followed by "Good Night, and Good Luck" which landed him an Oscar nomination, "Leatherheads", "The Monuments Men", and most recently "Suburbicon".
Personal life
Bissell is married to Martha Wynne. Jim and Martha have three children: James Dougal, Alexander Wynne and Elizabeth Wynne. He is a known Joseph Campbell fan. This is all that is known about this mysterious figure.
Awards
Bissell won the Emmy for "Outstanding Art Direction for a Series" for his work on "Palmerstown, U.S.A." Bissell was Nominated for the BAFTA for "Best Production Design/Art Direction" for his work on "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial." Bissell has been nominated for three different Art Directors Guild Awards for his work on "Good Night, and Good Luck.", "300", and "The Spiderwick Chronicles" Bissell was nominated at the 78th Academy Awards in the category of Best Art Direction for his work on the movie Good Night, and Good Luck. His nomination was shared with Jan Pascale. In 2015 he received the Art Directors Guildlifetime achievement award.
