Albert Wolsky

Albert Wolsky (born November 24, 1930)^[1] is an American costume designer. He has worked both on stage shows as well as for film, and has received two Academy Awards.

Life and career

Wolsky was born in Paris, France, but during World War II, he and the rest of his family fled to the United States to escape the German occupation.^[2] After graduating from the City College of New York, he served in the army from 1953–56, spending most of his enlistment in Japan.^[3] Once he returned to the United States, he began working in his father's travel agency. However, he decided to change careers and took an assistant's job with notable costume maker Helene Pons.^[4] Wolsky became a well regarded costume designer, working both on Broadway and in the motion picture industry.^[5]

The first film Wolsky worked on was The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter.^[6] He worked on many films including Harry and Tonto, The Turning Point, Grease and Manhattan. He worked with Bob Fosse, a leading Broadway director, on All That Jazz and won his first Academy Award. He won his second Academy Award for Bugsy in 1991 and has been nominated five other times, most recently for his work on Julie Taymor's Beatles-inspired musical Across the Universe (2007) and Sam Mendes's Revolutionary Road (2008).^[7][8]

He began his career as costume designer for the theatre by assisting costume designer Ann Roth on A Case of Libel (1963); he later assisted Roth on The Odd Couple (1965), Patricia Zipprodt on Fiddler on the Roof (1964), and Theoni Aldredge on Illya Darling (1967).^[8][9] His first work as lead costumer was Generation (1965). He went on to serve as principal costume designer for both plays and musicals, including The Sunshine Boys (1972) and Sly Fox (1976). Wolsky has been announced as the designer for the 2012 Broadway production of The Heiress.^[10]

Wolsky is currently a Member of the Board of Governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.^[11]

He is the recipient of the 2010 TDF/Irene Sharaff Lifetime Achievement Award For Costume Design.^[12]

In 2010, Wolsky donated his costume design sketches to the Margaret Herrick Library at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.^[13]

Personal life

His longtime partner was actor James Mitchell.^[14]

Honors and awards

• Academy Award
  • Winner: All That Jazz, 1980; Bugsy, 1992
  • Nominee: Sophie's Choice, 1983; The Journey of Natty Gann, 1986; Toys, 1993; Across the Universe, 2008; Revolutionary Road, 2009
• Hollywood Film Award, Costume Designer of the Year, 2004
• Costume Designers Guild, Career Achievement Award, 1999
• TDF/Irene Sharaff Lifetime Achievement Award, 2010^[15]
• Antoinette Perry Award
  • 2013 Best Costume Design of a Play for The Heiress (nominee)
• Drama Desk Award
  • 1976 Outstanding Costume Design for They Knew What They Wanted (nominee)
  • 1976 Outstanding Costume Design for A Memory of Two Mondays / 27 Wagons Full of Cotton (nominee)
  • 1977 Outstanding Costume Design for Sly Fox (nominee)

Bibliography

• Chaneles, Sol & Wolsky, Albert (1974) The Movie Makers: the lives and films of more than 2,500 stars, supporting actors, and directors who have made motion picture history. Secaucus, NJ: Derbibooks

References

Further reading

• "Wolsky, Albert." Contemporary Theater, Film, and Television. Vol. 36. Ed. Thomas Riggs. Farmington Hills, MI: Gale Group, 2001. 379-80.

External links

• Interview, March 17, 2009
• Albert Wolsky at the Internet Broadway Database
• Albert Wolsky on IMDb
• Albert Wolsky costume design drawings, 1977–2007, Margaret Herrick Library, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences