The Black Swan, The Departed Designer Leaves a Legacy Spanning Film, and Disability Rights.
Derrick Michael Kardos, the graphic designer whose work shaped the look of films from The Manchurian Candidate to Black Swan, died July 18 in Carteret, New Jersey, from complications of Long COVID, his family said. He was 53.
On April 18, 2024, he posted this message to his Twitter account: “This is my experience. I do not speak for all gays. But I am 52 and I have experienced more discrimination and stigma for being openly disabled by #LongCovid than I ever did for being openly gay.”
His obituary states, “To his friends, Derrick will be remembered for his fierce eccentricity, outrageous sense of humor and wit, unwavering loyalty, and his passion for Madonna and Sinéad O’Connor. Derrick was a devoted human to his four Bengal cats: Cajmere, Disco, Pony Boy, and Lightning. Derrick is survived by his father, Paul, brothers Donald and David, and sister Michelle. He is predeceased by his mother, Maureen. Donations in Derrick’s memory can be made to the Long Covid Action Project.
Producer Christine Vachon, of Killer Films, said in a Facebook post, “So so sorry to get this news. Derrick Kardos was a giant part of Killer’s roots and a wholly unique human being.“
Kardos’ career spanned three decades, with collaborations on acclaimed films directed by Jonathan Demme, Martin Scorsese, Ridley Scott, and Darren Aronofsky. His design credits ranged from The Departed and American Gangster to Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close, earning him multiple Art Directors Guild Award nominations and a 2011 win for Black Swan.
Born Nov. 5, 1971, in New Jersey, Kardos graduated from Colonia High School and earned his degree from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. He began in film as an assistant to producer Christine Vachon, working on seminal New Queer Cinema projects including Go Fish. He was mentored by production designer Thérèse de Prez, with whom he developed a long creative partnership on films like Stonewall, High Fidelity, and American Splendor.
By the early 2000s, Kardos had become a sought-after graphic designer for film sets. Demme reportedly admired his conceptual poster work for The Manchurian Candidate, and his contributions to American Gangster helped secure an Oscar nomination for art direction.
Kardos’ portfolio included School of Rock, The Devil Wears Prada, Revolutionary Road, The Lovely Bones, Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps, The Many Saints of Newark, and Cabrini. His television credits spanned The Sopranos, Red Oaks, The Good Cop, The Equalizer, and most recently, Peacock’s Poker Face.
Under the persona “The House of Diabolique,” Kardos was active in New York’s house music scene, running a popular blog, releasing CDs, and performing in East Village clubs. In his later years, as he faced Long COVID, Kardos became an advocate for increased research, treatment options, and formal recognition of the condition as a disability.
