Head, Edith

Head, Edith
born Oct. 28, 1897, San Bernardino, Calif., U.S.
died Oct. 24, 1981, Hollywood, Calif.

U.S. costume designer.

She became chief designer at Paramount Pictures in 1933 and later worked at Universal. Hollywood's best-known designer, she was noted for the wide range of her costumes, from the elegantly simple to the elaborately flamboyant. She won a record eight Academy Awards for her work in films such as All About Eve (1950), Roman Holiday (1953), and The Sting (1973).

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▪ American costume designer
original name  Edith Claire Posener  
born Oct. 28, 1897, San Bernardino, Calif., U.S.
died Oct. 24, 1981, Hollywood, Calif.

      American motion-picture costume designer.

      Head was the daughter of a mining engineer, and she grew up in various towns and camps in Arizona, Nevada, and Mexico. She attended the University of California (B.A.) and Stanford University (M.A.). After a time as a schoolteacher and some additional study in Los Angeles at the Otis Institute and the Chouinard Art School, she was hired (1923) by the head designer at Paramount Studios. For several years she worked her way up from sketcher to costume designer by way of apprentice assignments and such minor but memorable accomplishments as designing actress Dorothy Lamour's first sarong (The Jungle Princess, 1936).

      In 1938 Head became chief designer at Paramount, in charge of a costume department with a staff of hundreds. She was the first woman to head a design department at a major studio. From then on, at Paramount and later at Universal Studios, she became America's best-known and most successful Hollywood designer. She was noted for the range of her costume designs, from elegant simplicity to intricate flamboyance, and she also gained a reputation for being able to placate temperamental actors and directors.

      Head was nominated for an unprecedented 34 Academy Awards, winning a record 8 of them for her work in The Heiress (1949), Samson and Delilah (1949), All About Eve (1950), A Place in the Sun (1951), Roman Holiday (1953), Sabrina (1954), The Facts of Life (1960), and The Sting (1973). She was the author of an autobiography, The Dress Doctor (1959), and a self-help book, How to Dress for Success (1967), and appeared as herself on-screen in The Oscar (1966).

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • HEAD, EDITH — (1897–1981), U.S. costume designer. Head was born Edith Claire Posener to Max and Anna Posener (née Levy) in San Bernardino, California. When her mother divorced and remarried, Edith took her stepfather s surname, Spare, and adopted his Roman… …   Encyclopedia of Judaism

  • Head,Edith — Head (hĕd), Edith. 1898? 1981. American costume designer for more than 1,000 motion pictures, including All About Eve (1950) and A Place in the Sun (1951). * * * …   Universalium

  • Head, Edith — (1898 1981)    Head began her career as an assistant costume designer at Paramount Studios. Throughout her career she received thirty five Academy Award nominations and won eight of them for her costumes. Gifted with the ability to accentuate the …   Historical Dictionary of the Fashion Industry

  • Head, Edith — (28 oct. 1897, San Bernardino, Cal., EE.UU.–24 oct. 1981, Hollywood, Cal.). Diseñadora de vestuario estadounidense. Asumió como diseñadora en jefe de la Paramount Pictures en 1933, y en 1967 comenzó a trabajar en la Universal. Fue la más famosa… …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • Edith Head — Infobox Actor name = Edith Head birthname = Edith Claire Posener birthdate = birth date|1897|10|28 birthplace = Searchlight, Nevada deathdate = death date and age|1981|10|24|1897|10|28 deathplace = Los Angeles, California spouse = Charles Head… …   Wikipedia

  • Edith Head — Pour les articles homonymes, voir Edith et Head. Edith Head Données clés Nom de naissance Edith Claire Posener Naissance 28 octobre 1897 …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Edith — /ee dith/, n. a female given name: from Old English words meaning rich, happy and war. Also, Edithe. * * * (as used in expressions) Edith Margaret Emily Ashcroft Cavell Edith Louisa Evans Dame Edith Mary Hamilton Edith Head Edith Marsh Dame Edith …   Universalium

  • Edith — (as used in expressions) Edith Margaret Emily Ashcroft Cavell, Edith (Louisa) Evans, Dame Edith (Mary) Hamilton, Edith Head, Edith Marsh, Dame (Edith) Ngaio Piaf, Edith Edith Giovanna Gassion Edith Anna Oenone Somerville y Violet Florence Martin… …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • head — headlike, adj. /hed/, n. 1. the upper part of the body in humans, joined to the trunk by the neck, containing the brain, eyes, ears, nose, and mouth. 2. the corresponding part of the body in other animals. 3. the head considered as the center of… …   Universalium

  • Edith Head — (* 28. Oktober 1897 in San Bernardino, Kalifornien, USA als Edith Claire Posener; † 24. Oktober 1981 in Los Angeles) war eine US amerikanische Kostümbildnerin für den Film. Sie versorgte fast 1000 US amerikanische Filme mit ihren Kostümentwürfen… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

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