Ruth Morley
Ruth Morley (born November 19, 1925 in Vienna as Ruth Miriam Birnholz , † February 12, 1991 in New York City ) was an American costume designer of Austrian origin. Morley worked equally in the theater and in film productions.
life and work
Ruth Morley was born in Vienna in 1925 to Jewish parents. In 1939 she was sent to England on a Kindertransport , and a year later she arrived in America. After graduating from school, she first studied painting and was a model for various artists. She began working as a stage painter in New York, but was discovered and trained by costume designer Rose Bogdonoff . Morley initially designed dresses for performances at the Tamiment Theater and the New York City Opera . From 1950 she worked on Broadway for 38 years . In addition to her work at the theater, Morley also worked for film productions from the late 1950s. Her drafts for the biography of the deaf-blind writer Helen Keller , Licht im Dunkel , were nominated for the 1963 Academy Award for “ Best Costume Design ”. For the film Tootsie , Morley received a 1983 British Academy Film Award nomination .
Morley, mother of two daughters, died in 1991 of complications from cancer. Her daughter Melissa Hacker released the documentary My Knees Were Jumping: Remembering the Kindertransports in 1996 , for which she used both Morley's memories and her mother's footage.
The League of Professional Theater Women has presented the Ruth Morley Designing Woman Award since 1998 .
Filmography (selection)
- 1958: Never Love a Stranger
- 1961: Sharks of the Big City ( The Hustler )
- 1962: Light in the Dark ( The Miracle Worker )
- 1964: Lilith
- 1965: Thousand clown ( A thousand clown )
- 1968: The Brotherhood
- 1970: Diary of adultery ( Diary of a Mad Housewife )
- 1972: Four Weird Birds ( The Hot Rock )
- 1973: Kojak - Mission in Manhattan ( Kojack ) (TV series)
- 1977: The Urban Neurotic ( Annie Hall )
- 1979: Kramer vs. Kramer ( Kramer vs. Kramer )
- 1982: Tootsie
- 1985: Death of a Salesman ( Death of a Salesman )
- 1989: Winter People - Like a Leaf in the Wind ( Winter People )
- 1989: The Dream Team ( The Dream Team )
- 1989: Die Glücksjäger ( See No Evil, Hear No Evil )
- 1990: Ghost - Message from Sam ( Ghost )
- 1991: The Prince of Tides ( The Prince Of Tides )
Web links
- Ruth Morley in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- Obituary in the New York Times on February 13, 1991
- Biography on the homepage of the Costume Designers Guild
Individual evidence
- ↑ List of Austrian refugees at literaturepochen.at (pdf; 417 kB), p. 44, accessed on January 9, 2012.
- ^ British Academy Film Awards 1983 on bafta.org, accessed January 9, 2012.
- ↑ theatrewomen.org ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , accessed January 9, 2012.
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Morley, Ruth |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Birnholz, Ruth Miriam (maiden name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American costume designer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | November 19, 1925 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Vienna |
| DATE OF DEATH | February 12, 1991 |
| Place of death | New York City |