Edith Head (October 28, 1897 - October 24, 1981) was an Americann costume designer who had a long career in Hollywood.
Born Edith Claire Posener in San Bernardino, California, Head was a school teacher who answered an advertisment in 1923 to work for Paramount Studios. With no experience, she decided that she would learn as she went.
She began designing costumes for silent films and by the thirties had established herself as one of the leading designers.
During her career she won 8 Academy Awards from 34 nominations and was responsible for some of the best known Hollywood fashion images of her day. With her costumes being worn by the most glamorous and famous actresses of the day in films seen by millions, Head's influence on world fashion was far reaching.
Among the actresses she designed for were:
- Mae West in She Done Him Wrong, 1933
- Frances Farmer in Rhythm on the Range, 1936 and Ebb Tide, 1937
- Paulette Goddard in The Cat and the Canary, 1939
- Veronica Lake in Sullivans Travels, 1941 and I Married A Witch, 1942
- Barbara Stanwyck in The Lady Eve and Ball of Fire both 1941 and Double Indemnity, 1944
- Ingrid Bergman in Notorious, 1946
- Dorothy Lamour in most of The Road movies.
- Loretta Young in The Farmers Daughter, 1947
- Olivia de Havilland in The Heiress, 1949
- Bette Davis in All About Eve, 1950
- Gloria Swanson in Sunset Boulevard, 1950
- Elizabeth Taylor in A Place in the Sun, 1951
- Audrey Hepburn in Roman Holiday, 1953 and Sabrina, 1954
- Grace Kelly in Rear Window, 1954, and To Catch a Thief, 1955
- Doris Day in The Man Who Knew Too Much, 1956
- Marlene Dietrich in Witness for the Prosecution, 1957
- Rita Hayworth in Separate Tables, 1958
- Kim Novak in Vertigo, 1958
- Tippi Hedren in The Birds, 1963 and Marnie, 1964
She died in 1981 from bone marrow disease and was interred in Forest Lawn Cemetery, Glendale, California. She has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6504 Hollywood Blvd.
Edith Heads Oscar Nominations
