Roger Kemble Furse (11 September 1903 – 19 August 1972) was an English painter who worked as a

costume designer A costume designer is a person who designs costumes for a film, stage production or television show. The role of the costume designer is to create the characters' outfits or costumes and balance the scenes with texture and colour, etc. The costume ...

and

production designer In film and television, the production designer is the individual responsible for the overall aesthetic of the story. The production design gives the viewers a sense of the time period, the plot location, and character actions and feelings. Wo ...

for both stage and film.

Career

Roger Furse was the son of

Lieutenant General Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...

Sir William Furse and Jean Adelaide Evans-Gordon. He was educated at St George's School, Windsor Castle, at

Eton College Eton College () is a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1440 by Henry VI under the name ''Kynge's College of Our Ladye of Eton besyde Windesore'',Nevill, p. 3 ff. intended as a sister institution to King's College, ...

and at the

Slade School of Fine Art The UCL Slade School of Fine Art (informally The Slade) is the art school of University College London (UCL) and is based in London, England. It has been ranked as the UK's top art and design educational institution. The school is organised as ...

, London. He began working as a stage designer in 1934, but he did not work on films until the early 1940s. At the outbreak of World War II, he joined the navy. In 1943, he was granted a temporary release to design the costumes and armour for Laurence Olivier's film version of Shakespeare's ''Henry V'' (1944). In 1945, at the end of the war, he was reunited with Olivier at the

Old Vic Old or OLD may refer to: Places *Old, Baranya, Hungary *Old, Northamptonshire, England * Old Street station, a railway and tube station in London (station code OLD) *OLD, IATA code for Old Town Municipal Airport and Seaplane Base, Old Town, Ma ...

company in London. In 1946, he created the sets for the ballet ''

Adam Zero ''Adam Zero'' is a ballet with music composed by Arthur Bliss and choreographed by Robert Helpmann in 1946. Background After World War I, Bliss developed an interest in ballet after seeing the Ballets Russes of Sergei Diaghilev in London. Blis ...

'' at the

Royal Opera House, Covent Garden The Royal Opera House (ROH) is an opera house and major performing arts venue in Covent Garden, central London. The large building is often referred to as simply Covent Garden, after a previous use of the site. It is the home of The Royal O ...

. Furse became a frequent collaborator with Olivier on both stage and screen, often on Shakespearean productions. He won two Oscars in 1949, one each for his art direction and

costume design Costume design is the creation of clothing for the overall appearance of a character or performer. Costume may refer to the style of dress particular to a nation, a class, or a period. In many cases, it may contribute to the fullness of the arti ...

of Olivier's film version of ''Hamlet'' (1948)."Hamlet" @ Awards Databases He also worked with Olivier on his films ''Richard III'' (1955) and ''

The Prince and the Showgirl ''The Prince and the Showgirl'' (originally titled '' The Sleeping Prince'') is a 1957 British romantic comedy film starring Marilyn Monroe and Laurence Olivier, who also served as director and producer. The screenplay written by Terence Ratti ...

'' (1957). His other film credits include ''

Odd Man Out ''Odd Man Out'' is a 1947 British film noir directed by Carol Reed, and starring James Mason, Robert Newton, Cyril Cusack, and Kathleen Ryan. Set in Belfast, Northern Ireland, it follows a wounded Nationalist leader who attempts to evade polic ...

'' (1947), '' Ivanhoe'' (1952), '' Knights of the Round Table'' (1953), '' Helen of Troy'' (1956), '' Saint Joan'' (1957) and ''

The Roman Spring of Mrs Stone ''The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone'' is a 1961 British romantic drama film made by Warner Bros. It was directed by José Quintero and produced by Louis de Rochemont with Lothar Wolff as associate producer. The screenplay was written by Gavin Lam ...

'' (1961). In 1959 Furse went to Hollywood (in the company of Olivier) Peter Ustinov ''Dear Me'' (William Heinemann • London • 1977) p270 as production designer on ''

Spartacus Spartacus ( el, Σπάρτακος '; la, Spartacus; c. 103–71 BC) was a Thracian gladiator who, along with Crixus, Gannicus, Castus, and Oenomaus, was one of the escaped slave leaders in the Third Servile War, a major slave uprisin ...

'' (1960), but he did not receive a screen credit for his work. Peter Ustinov, who was also working on the film, described Furse as 'a delightful bearded figure'. He was nominated for a

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ce ...

in 1961 for his set design of the

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

hit drama, ''

Duel of Angels '' Duel of Angels '' (1963) is an English-language adaptation by Christopher Fry of the play ''Pour Lucrèce'' (1944) by French dramatist Jean Giraudoux. The play is based on the story of Lucretia, the virtuous Roman housewife who was raped and ...

''.

Family

Roger Furse's first wife was Margaret Furse (''nee'' Watts), who was also an

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

-winning costume designer. His portrait of her is included in the permanent collection of the National Portrait Gallery in London. His second wife was Ines Sylvia Perg. Their marriage lasted until his death in 1972. She died in 1986. He did not have any children from either of his marriages. The actress

Judith Furse Judith Furse (4 March 1912 – 29 August 1974) was an English actress. Career A member of the Furse family, her father was Lieutenant-General Sir William Furse and mother Jean Adelaide Furse. Her brother, Roger, became a stage designer and ...

was his younger sister.

References

External links

* *
Roger Furse
in

AusStage AusStage: The Australian Live Performance Database is an online database which records information about live performances in Australia, providing records of productions from the first recorded performance in Australia (1789, by convicts) up unt ...

W.H. Crain Costume and Scene Design Collection
at the

Harry Ransom Center The Harry Ransom Center (until 1983 the Humanities Research Center) is an archive, library and museum at the University of Texas at Austin, specializing in the collection of literary and cultural artifacts from the Americas and Europe for the pur ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Furse, Roger Kemble English art directors English costume designers Best Art Direction Academy Award winners Best Costume Design Academy Award winners People educated at Eton College People from Ightham 1903 births 1972 deaths British expatriates in the United States Military personnel from Kent Royal Navy personnel of World War II