Michael Whittaker

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Michael Whittaker was a British fashion and costume designer in film, television and theater. He was best known for his work for the movies of the 1950s such as The Black Rose , Robin Hood and his daring journeymen or Robin Hood, the red avenger .

life and work

Michael Whittaker began his career during World War II in 1942, first as an actor in films by directors such as Harold French and Walter Forde . Except for a small part as a submarine member in the war drama In Which We Serve by directors Noël Coward and David Lean in the same year, he did not get beyond the role of the minor actor. After he had appeared in Roy Ward Baker's short film Read All About It in 1945 , he switched from acting to costume design a few years later.

In 1948 he created the costumes for the British television film One, Two, Three! before he designed the clothes for Arthur Crabtree's war drama Lilli Marlene in 1950 . In the same year he delivered the drafts for director Henry Hathaway's US-American-British adventure film The Black Rose with Tyrone Power and Orson Welles in the leading roles for the 1951 Whittaker, an Oscar nomination in the category Best Costume Design at the 1951 awards ceremony in the color film category. At the beginning of the 1950s, he then made other costumes for films such as The Dreaming Heart , Flesh & Blood or Robin Hood and his daredevil companions under the direction of Ken Annakin . With the costumes for Val Guest's adventure film Robin Hood, the Red Avenger , his work for British cinema ended in 1954. At the beginning of the 1960s he returned to television to look after the cloakroom of actress Honor Blackman in the role of Catherine Gale in the crime series With Umbrella, Charm and Melon, at his personal request, his leather costumes in particular became famous Leading actress in the series.

In the mid-1960s, Michael Whittaker eventually produced shows for the London Fashion House group. Whittaker was active with musical fashion shows in Great Britain until the early 1980s.

In addition to his work as a costume designer in film and television, Whittaker also worked for the theater.

Awards

Filmography (selection)

movie theater

watch TV

literature

  • Michael Whittaker. In: Kate Bales: Cinematographers, Production Designers, Costume Designers and Film Editor's Guide. , Lone Eagle, 1999, p. 435

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Michael Whittaker. In: Wesley Alan Britton: Spy Television. , Greenwood Publishing Group, 2004, p. 62
  2. ↑ Michael Whittaker. In: James Chapman: Saints and Avengers: British Adventure Series of the 1960s. , IBTauris, 2002, p. 63
  3. ↑ Michael Whittaker. In: Anna Gough-Yates, Bill Osgerby, Anna Gough Yates: Action TV: Tough-Guys, Smooth Operators and Foxy Chicks. , Routledge, 2013, p. 225
  4. ↑ Michael Whittaker. In: Christopher Breward: Fashioning London: clothing and the modern metropolis. , Berg, 2004, p. 158
  5. ↑ Michael Whittaker. In: Scottish Field, Volume 128. Holmes McDougall, 1982, p. 142
  6. ↑ Michael Whittaker. In: JP Wearing The London Stage 1950-1959: A Calendar of Productions, Performers, and Personnel. , Rowman & Littlefield, 2014, p. 497
personal data
SURNAME Whittaker, Michael
BRIEF DESCRIPTION British costume designer
DATE OF BIRTH 20th century
DATE OF DEATH 20th century or 21st century