As the son of a US Marine, Gary grew up in cities and towns all across America. His Fathers' retirement from the Marine Corp landed his family in the heartland, where he attended high school and college. Gary completed his Bachelor and Masters degree in Theatre, along with post-graduate work in industrial and graphic design, at the University of Illinois. He began his career as a designer in Chicago’s vibrant off loop theatre movement. While designing for such companies as Steppenwolf, St. Nicholas, Wisdom Bridge, North Light, Body Politic and Second City, an opportunity to work as a set designer on a feature film would change his career path from theatre design to film design. Over the past twenty-five years, Gary has enjoyed opportunities to design or art direct a variety of feature films and television series. His film work has taken him from coast to coast and allowed him the privilege of learning from and working with a number of the industry’s finest professionals. Gary's home base has been Chicago for the past thirty-six years. This summer, he and Chicago actress, Meg Thalken will celebrate their thirty-first wedding anniversary. They have two beautiful daughters, Molly and Riley.