William Rose (illustrator)

William Rose
Rose as a college senior, 1930
Born	William Frank Rose (1909-09-16)September 16, 1909 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Died	May 29, 1972(1972-05-29) (aged 62) New York City, U.S.
Education	University of Pittsburgh Carnegie Institute (Carnegie Mellon University) College of Fine Arts
Occupation(s)	Illustrator of film posters, magazines, and paperbacks
Spouse	Miriam Roberts Rose ​ ​ (m. 1935; died 1964)​
Children	2
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William F. Rose (September 16, 1909 – May 29, 1972) was an American illustrator and film poster artist active in the 1930s and 1940s. He is recognized as one of the most distinctive poster artists of the Classical Hollywood era, a time when most film posters featured painted illustrations rather than photography. Rose painted dozens of poster illustrations for RKO Radio Pictures and other studios. As one of the leading designers in RKO's art department, he helped to define the studio's bold visual aesthetic. Although he was prolific, only a fraction of his poster designs have been individually attributed to him. Most of his output remains unidentified. His artwork is prized by collectors, and original prints of his posters have fetched high prices at auction.

One of his most iconic posters is the alternate "Style B" design for Citizen Kane (1941), which pitched the film as a more conventional romance than it actually was. The poster failed as a marketing ploy but, in hindsight, has been considered superior to the primary "Style A" design. In posters for films like Out of the Past (1947), Rose made significant contributions to the film noir aesthetic. He also illustrated all the promotional artwork for producer Val Lewton's series of low-budget B movies at RKO, most notably the horror film Cat People (1942).

Apart from his work for Hollywood art departments, Rose was also an active illustrator for magazines and paperback fiction. Born and educated in Pittsburgh, Rose resided in Oceanside, New York for most of his professional career. He was married to Miriam Roberts Rose, a pianist, and had two children. In 1972, he died in New York City at the age of 62.