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Robert Joseph "Bob" Markell (born April 12, 1924) is an artist, engineer, and award-winning television producer and art director of television series, movies, and mini-series.

Early life and education
Robert Markell was born in Boston, Massachusetts on April 12, 1924. He earned a Bachelor of Engineering degree in 1944 from Northeastern University. After college, Markell relocated to Bethpage, New York, where he worked for the Grumman Aircraft Engineering Company designing airplanes until 1946. He then moved back to Boston and worked as an architect until 1948. Later in 1948, Markell became a student at the Art Students League in New York City. In 1965, Markell earned an honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts from Northeastern University.

Film career
Markell began his film career as a scenic designer at CBS-TV, where he worked from 1949 to 1959. During that time, he also had the opportunity to take on art director roles. In 1954, Robert Markell received the first of five Emmy Awards for his set design work on the television series You Are There. He also worked as a producer on the television series Playhouse 90 and The Defenders. For their performance on The Defenders, the production crew that Markell was a part of won three Emmys in 1962, 1963, and 1964 and was nominated for two more in 1963 and 1964. Markell was individually nominated for the Emmy in Outstanding Program Achievements in Entertainment for The Defenders in 1965, but did not win. Between 1967 and 1969, he produced the popular television show NYPD Blue. . In 1973, he became the executive producer of dramatic programs for CBS-TV. Markell received the Screen Producers Guild Award in 1962 and 1963. Many successful actors and artists have worked with Mr. Markell, including Noel Coward, Mary Martin, Jackie Gleason, Paul Newman, Henry Fonda, George Balanchine, Dustin Hoffman, E.G. Marshall, Robert Reed, William Shatner, Jack Warden, Al Pacino, James Earl Jones, and Harvey Keitel.

"'We were free to do anything we wanted, to say anything we wanted. And we weren't afraid of being fired or anything like that. We kind of knew our limits so we weren't that extravagant. The Golden Age of Television was an age where everybody was learning. There were no experts, so there was nobody to tell us what to do.' - Bob Markell"

Executive producer roles

 * Nicky's World (1974)
 * Dain Curse (1978)
 * Bicentennial Minutes (1974-1976)
 * Word (1979)
 * You Can't Go Home Again (1979)
 * If Tomorrow Comes (1986)
 * At Mother's Request (1987)

Producer roles

 * Playhouse 90 (1959-1960)
 * NYPD Blue (1967-1969)
 * Dr. Cook's Garden (1971)
 * Tattered Web (1972)
 * Murder Once Removed (1972)
 * Settle the Score (1990)

Art director roles

 * You Are There (1954)
 * 12 Angry Men (1957)

Later life
Since he retired from his film career, Markell has been painting and printmaking. His work has been on display in numerous exhibits, galleries, and the Brooklyn Museum.