Orry-Kelly

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Orry-Kelly (born Orry George Kelly on December 31, 1897 in Kiama , New South Wales , Australia , † February 27, 1964 in Hollywood , Los Angeles , USA ) was an Australian-American costume designer .

Career

Costume of Claude Rains in the film Casablanca (1942)

After studying art, Orry George Kelly first worked in Sydney as a tailor and shop window designer. His acting ambitions then prompted him to move to the USA, where he first settled in New York . There he shared an apartment with Cary Grant and the Australian Charles Phelps. Murals made by him for a nightclub earned him a job as a film title designer at Fox Film Corporation . During this time he also worked as a costume designer and set designer on Broadway .

After attempts to establish himself as a nightclub operator had failed against the backdrop of the Great Depression, he made his way to Hollywood in 1932 . In the following years he worked there for the major film studios Warner Brothers , Universal , RKO , 20th Century Fox and MGM . At the beginning of his Hollywood career he designed costumes for a number of leading actresses of the time, such as Bette Davis , Olivia de Havilland , Katharine Hepburn , Ava Gardner , Kay Francis , Ann Sheridan , Barbara Stanwyck and Merle Oberon . Well-known films he has provided costume designs for over the years include 42nd Street , Hell, Where's Your Victory , The Hawk's Trail , Casablanca , Arsenic and Lace Bonnet , An American in Paris, and Some Like It Hot . By the end of his professional career in 1963, the artist, now trading as Orry-Kelly , was involved in more than 300 films. His last work included costumes for The Girl Irma la Douce .

After a successful career that was crowned by three Academy Awards , but also overshadowed by years of excessive alcohol consumption, he died of liver cancer in 1964 .

Awards

  • 1952: Oscar for the best costume design / color (for An American in Paris )
  • 1958: Oscar for the best costume design (for The Girls )
  • 1960: Oscar for best costume design / black and white (for some like it hot )
  • 1963: Oscar nomination in the category Best Costume Design / Color (for Gypsy - Queen of the Night )

Web links

Commons : Orry-Kelly  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files
personal data
SURNAME Orry-Kelly
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Kelly, Orry George (maiden name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Australian-American costume designer
DATE OF BIRTH December 31, 1897
PLACE OF BIRTH Kiama , New South Wales , Australia
DATE OF DEATH February 27, 1964
Place of death Hollywood , Los Angeles , USA