Theoni V. Aldredge (August 22, 1922 – January 21, 2011) was a

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

stage and screen

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 ...

Biography

Born Theoni Athanasiou Vachliotis in

Thessaloniki Thessaloniki (; el, Θεσσαλονίκη, , also known as Thessalonica (), Saloniki, or Salonica (), is the second-largest city in Greece, with over one million inhabitants in its metropolitan area, and the capital of the geographic region of ...

in 1922, Aldredge received her training at the American School in

Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates a ...

. She

emigrate Emigration is the act of leaving a resident country or place of residence with the intent to settle elsewhere (to permanently leave a country). Conversely, immigration describes the movement of people into one country from another (to permanentl ...

d to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

in 1949 and attended the Goodman School of Drama at the

Art Institute of Chicago The Art Institute of Chicago in Chicago's Grant Park, founded in 1879, is one of the oldest and largest art museums in the world. Recognized for its curatorial efforts and popularity among visitors, the museum hosts approximately 1.5 mill ...

(now at

DePaul University DePaul University is a private, Catholic research university in Chicago, Illinois. Founded by the Vincentians in 1898, the university takes its name from the 17th-century French priest Saint Vincent de Paul. In 1998, it became the largest Ca ...

) in Chicago on a scholarship. Her first

Broadway theatre Broadway theatre,Although ''theater'' is generally the spelling for this common noun in the United States (see American and British English spelling differences), 130 of the 144 extant and extinct Broadway venues use (used) the spelling ''T ...

assignment was in 1959, designing the wardrobe for

Geraldine Page Geraldine Sue Page (November 22, 1924June 13, 1987) was an American actress. With a career which spanned four decades across film, stage, and television, Page was the recipient of numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Acad ...

Tennessee Williams Thomas Lanier Williams III (March 26, 1911 – February 25, 1983), known by his pen name Tennessee Williams, was an American playwright and screenwriter. Along with contemporaries Eugene O'Neill and Arthur Miller, he is considered among the thr ...

' ''

Sweet Bird of Youth ''Sweet Bird of Youth'' is a 1959 play by Tennessee Williams which tells the story of a gigolo and drifter, Chance Wayne, who returns to his home town as the companion of a faded movie star, Alexandra del Lago (travelling incognito as Princess ...

''; her most recent was the 2006 revival of ''

A Chorus Line ''A Chorus Line'' is a 1975 musical with music by Marvin Hamlisch, lyrics by Edward Kleban, and a book by James Kirkwood Jr. and Nicholas Dante. Set on the bare stage of a Broadway theater, the musical is centered on seventeen Broadway dancers ...

''. For twenty years, she was the principal designer for producer

Joseph Papp Joseph Papp (born Joseph Papirofsky; June 22, 1921 – October 31, 1991) was an American theatrical producer and director. He established The Public Theater in what had been the Astor Library Building in Lower Manhattan. There Papp created a ...

and also designed several musicals for Michael Bennett.

Career

One of the most honored costume designers of the American theatre, Aldredge received three Tony Awards (for '' Annie'', ''

Barnum Phineas Taylor Barnum (; July 5, 1810 – April 7, 1891) was an American showman, businessman, and politician, remembered for promoting celebrated hoaxes and founding the Barnum & Bailey Circus (1871–2017) with James Anthony Bailey. He wa ...

'', and '' La Cage aux Folles''), as well as 11 other Tony nominations, including such productions as ''

'', '' 42nd Street'', and ''

Dreamgirls ''Dreamgirls'' is a Broadway musical, with music by Henry Krieger and lyrics and book by Tom Eyen. Based on the show business aspirations and successes of R&B acts such as The Supremes, The Shirelles, James Brown, Jackie Wilson, and others,G ...

''. She received numerous honors from the Drama Desk awards and other theatrical groups. In 2002, she received the

Irene Sharaff Irene Sharaff (January 23, 1910 – August 16, 1993) was an American costume designer for stage and screen. Her work earned her five Academy Awards and a Tony Award. Sharaff is universally recognized as one of the greatest costume designers of ...

Lifetime Achievement Award from the Theatre Development Fund. Aldredge worked extensively in film and television as well. Her productions included ''Network,'' ''Eyes of Laura Mars'', and ''Rich and Famous''. She received the

Oscar Oscar, OSCAR, or The Oscar may refer to: People * Oscar (given name), an Irish- and English-language name also used in other languages; the article includes the names Oskar, Oskari, Oszkár, Óscar, and other forms. * Oscar (Irish mythology) ...

and a British Academy Award for ''

The Great Gatsby ''The Great Gatsby'' is a 1925 novel by American writer F. Scott Fitzgerald. Set in the Jazz Age on Long Island, near New York City, the novel depicts first-person narrator Nick Carraway's interactions with mysterious millionaire Jay Gatsby ...

'' in 1974. Her designs for the film were adapted for a clothing line sold exclusively by

Bloomingdale's Bloomingdale's Inc. is an American luxury department store chain; it was founded in New York City by Joseph B. and Lyman G. Bloomingdale in 1861. A third brother, Emanuel Watson Bloomingdale, was also involved in the business. It became a div ...

in Manhattan.

Personal life

She was the wife of American actor

Tom Aldredge Thomas Ernest Aldredge (February 28, 1928 – July 22, 2011) was an American television, film and stage actor. He won a Daytime Emmy Award for playing the role of Shakespeare in ''Henry Winkler Meets William Shakespeare'' (1978). His Broadway ...

from 1953 until her death from a

cardiac arrest Cardiac arrest is when the heart suddenly and unexpectedly stops beating. It is a medical emergency that, without immediate medical intervention, will result in sudden cardiac death within minutes. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and poss ...

on January 21, 2011, aged 88, in a Stamford, Connecticut hospital. He died six months later, on July 22, 2011, aged 83, from

lymphoma Lymphoma is a group of blood and lymph tumors that develop from lymphocytes (a type of white blood cell). In current usage the name usually refers to just the cancerous versions rather than all such tumours. Signs and symptoms may include enla ...

Productions

Broadway

*''

'' (2006 revival) *''

Follies ''Follies'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and a book by James Goldman. The plot takes place in a crumbling Broadway theater, now scheduled for demolition, previously home to a musical revue (based on the ''Ziegfeld Fol ...

'' (2001 revival) *'' Annie'' (1997 revival) *'' Three Sisters'' (1997 revival) *''

The School for Scandal ''The School for Scandal'' is a comedy of manners written by Richard Brinsley Sheridan. It was first performed in London at Drury Lane Theatre on 8 May 1777. Plot Act I Scene I: Lady Sneerwell, a wealthy young widow, and her hireling Sn ...

'' (1995 revival) *'' Nick & Nora'' (1991) *''

The Secret Garden ''The Secret Garden'' is a novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett first published in book form in 1911, after serialisation in '' The American Magazine'' (November 1910 – August 1911). Set in England, it is one of Burnett's most popular novels an ...

'' (1991) *'' Oh, Kay!'' (1990 revival) *''

Gypsy The Romani (also spelled Romany or Rromani , ), colloquially known as the Roma, are an Indo-Aryan ethnic group, traditionally nomadic itinerants. They live in Europe and Anatolia, and have diaspora populations located worldwide, with sign ...

'' (1989 revival) *''

Chess Chess is a board game for two players, called White and Black, each controlling an army of chess pieces in their color, with the objective to checkmate the opponent's king. It is sometimes called international chess or Western chess to dist ...

'' (1988) *''

'' (1987 revival) *'' The Rink'' (1984) *'' La Cage aux Folles'' (1983) *''

Private Lives ''Private Lives'' is a 1930 comedy of manners in three acts by Noël Coward. It concerns a divorced couple who, while honeymooning with their new spouses, discover that they are staying in adjacent rooms at the same hotel. Despite a perpetu ...

'' (1983 revival) *''

'' (1981) *''

Onward Victoria ''Onward Victoria'' is a musical (1980) with a book and lyrics by Charlotte Anker and Irene Rosenberg, and music by Keith Herrmann. Its subject is Victoria Woodhull, the 19th-century woman who with her sister were the first women to operate a br ...

'' (1981) *''

Woman of the Year ''Woman of the Year'' is a 1942 American romantic comedy-drama film directed by George Stevens and starring Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn. The film was written by Ring Lardner Jr. and Michael Kanin (with uncredited work on the rewritten ...

'' (1981) *'' 42nd Street'' (1980) *''

'' (1980) *'' Ballroom'' (1979) *''

The Grand Tour ''The Grand Tour'' is a British motoring television series, created by Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, James May and Andy Wilman, made for Amazon exclusively for its online streaming service Amazon Prime Video, and premiered on 18 November ...

'' (1979) *'' Annie'' (1977) *'' Threepenny Opera'' (1977 revival) *''

The Belle of Amherst ''The Belle of Amherst'' is a one-woman play by William Luce. Based on the life of poet Emily Dickinson from 1830 to 1886, and set in her Amherst, Massachusetts home, the 1976 play makes use of her work, diaries, and letters to recollect her en ...

'' (1976) *'' The Eccentricities of a Nightingale'' (1976) *''

'' (1975) *''

That Championship Season ''That Championship Season'' is a 1972 play by Jason Miller. It was the recipient of the 1973 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and the 1973 Tony Award for Best Play. Plot synopsis The setting is 1972 at the Coach's home in Scranton, Pennsylvania. O ...

'' (1972) *'' Two Gentlemen of Verona'' (1971) *''

The Incomparable Max ''The Incomparable Max'' is a play by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee. It is based on the stories " Enoch Soames" and "A.V. Laider" in ''Seven Men'' by Max Beerbohm. Enoch Soames is a minor poet who makes a pact with the devil to spend a few h ...

'' (1971) *'' The Only Game in Town'' (1968) *''

I Never Sang for My Father ''I Never Sang for My Father'' is a 1970 American drama film, based on the 1968 play of the same name. It tells the story of a widowed college professor who feels dominated by his aging father, yet still has regrets about his plan to leave him be ...

'' (1968) *''

You Know I Can't Hear You When the Water's Running ''You Know I Can't Hear You When the Water's Running'' is a collection of four unrelated one-act comedy plays by Robert Anderson. In ''The Shock of Recognition'', playwright Jack Barnstable auditions Richard Pawling for a role that requires nudi ...

'' (1967) *''

Little Murders ''Little Murders'' is a 1971 American black comedy film directed by Alan Arkin, in his feature film directorial debut, and starring Elliott Gould and Marcia Rodd. Based on the stage play of the same name by Jules Feiffer, it is the story of a ...

'' (1967) *'' Illya Darling'' (1967) *'' A Delicate Balance'' (1966) *'' Cactus Flower'' (1965) *'' Luv'' (1964) *''

Anyone Can Whistle ''Anyone Can Whistle'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and a book by Arthur Laurents. Described as "a satire on conformity and the insanity of the so-called sane," the show tells a story of an economically depressed town w ...

'' (1964) *''

I Can Get It for You Wholesale ''I Can Get It for You Wholesale'' is a musical, produced by David Merrick, music and lyrics by Harold Rome, and book by Jerome Weidman, based on his 1937 novel of the same title. It marked the Broadway debut of 19-year-old Barbra Streisand ...

'' (1962) *'' The Best Man'' (1960)

Film

*''

The Mirror Has Two Faces ''The Mirror Has Two Faces'' is a 1996 American romantic comedy-drama film produced and directed by Barbra Streisand, who also stars. The screenplay by Richard LaGravenese is loosely based on the 1958 French film ''Le Miroir à deux faces'' writt ...

'' (1996) *''

The First Wives Club ''The First Wives Club'' is a 1996 American comedy film directed by Hugh Wilson, based on the 1992 novel of the same name by Olivia Goldsmith. The film stars Bette Midler, Goldie Hawn, and Diane Keaton as three divorcées who seek retribution ...

'' (1996) *''

Mrs. Winterbourne ''Mrs. Winterbourne'' is a 1996 American romantic comedy-drama (film and television), drama film starring Shirley MacLaine, Ricki Lake, and Brendan Fraser. It is loosely based on Cornell Woolrich's novel ''I Married a Dead Man'', which had already ...

'' (1996) *''

Addams Family Values ''Addams Family Values'' is a 1993 American supernatural black comedy film directed by Barry Sonnenfeld and written by Paul Rudnick, based on the characters created by Charles Addams. It is the sequel to '' The Addams Family'' (1991). The fil ...

'' (1993) *''

Moonstruck ''Moonstruck'' is a 1987 American romantic comedy-drama film directed and co-produced by Norman Jewison, written by John Patrick Shanley, and starring Cher, Nicolas Cage, Danny Aiello, Olympia Dukakis, and Vincent Gardenia. The film follows L ...

'' (1987) *''

Ghostbusters ''Ghostbusters'' is a 1984 American supernatural comedy film directed and produced by Ivan Reitman, and written by Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis. It stars Bill Murray, Aykroyd, and Ramis as Peter Venkman, Ray Stantz, and Egon Spengler, thr ...

'' (1984) *'' Annie'' (1982) *''

Can't Stop the Music ''Can't Stop the Music'' is a 1980 American musical comedy film directed by Nancy Walker. Written by Allan Carr and Bronté Woodard, the film is a pseudo-biography of the 1970s disco group the Village People loosely based on the actual story ...

'' (1980) *'' Loving Couples'' (1980) *'' The Rose'' (1979) *'' The Champ'' (1979) *''

Eyes of Laura Mars ''Eyes of Laura Mars'' is a 1978 American neo noir mystery-thriller film starring Faye Dunaway and Tommy Lee Jones and directed by Irvin Kershner. The screenplay was adapted (in collaboration with David Zelag Goodman) from a spec script titled ' ...

'' (1978) *'' The Cheap Detective'' (1978) *''

Network Network, networking and networked may refer to: Science and technology * Network theory, the study of graphs as a representation of relations between discrete objects * Network science, an academic field that studies complex networks Mathematics ...

'' (1976) *'' Three Days Of The Condor'' (1975) *''

'' (1974) *''

'' (1970) *''

Last Summer ''Last Summer'' is a 1969 teen drama film about adolescent sexuality based on the 1968 novel of the same name by Evan Hunter. Director Frank Perry filmed at Fire Island locations. It stars Catherine Burns, Barbara Hershey, Bruce Davison and R ...

'' (1969) *'' No Way To Treat A Lady'' (1968)

Awards and nominations

*2001

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 ...

Best Costume Design (''Follies'', nominee) *1991 Tony Award Best Costume Design (''The Secret Garden'', nominee) *1990 Tony Award Best Costume Design (''Gypsy'', nominee) *1984 Tony Award Best Costume Design (''La Cage aux Folles'', winner) *1984 Drama Desk Award Outstanding Costume Design (''La Cage aux Folles'', winner) *1982 Tony Award Best Costume Design (''Dreamgirls'', nominee) *1982 Drama Desk Award Outstanding Costume Design (''Dreamgirls'', nominee) *1981 Tony Award Best Costume Design (''42nd Street'', nominee) *1981 Drama Desk Award Outstanding Costume Design (''42nd Street'', winner) *1981 Drama Desk Award Outstanding Costume Design (''Onward Victoria'', nominee) *1980 Tony Award Best Costume Design (''Barnum'', winner) *1979 Tony Award Best Costume Design (''Ballroom'', nominee) *1979 Drama Desk Award Outstanding Costume Design (''Ballroom'', nominee) *1977 Tony Award Best Costume Design (''Annie'', winner) *1977 Tony Award Best Costume Design (''Threepenny Opera'', nominee) *1977 Drama Desk Award Outstanding Costume Design (''Annie'', winner) *1976 Tony Award Best Costume Design (''A Chorus Line'', nominee) *1976 Drama Desk Award Outstanding Costume Design (''Trelawny of the Wells'', nominee) *1974 Tony Award Best Costume Design (''The Au Pair Man'', nominee) *1974 Academy Award Outstanding Costume Design (''The Great Gatsby'', winner) *1974 British Academy Award (BAFTA) Outstanding Costume Design (''The Great Gatsby'', winner) *1973 Tony Award Best Costume Design (''Much Ado About Nothing'', nominee) *1973 Drama Desk Award Outstanding Costume Design (''Much Ado About Nothing'', winner) *1972 Tony Award Best Costume Design (''Two Gentlemen of Verona'', nominee) *1972 Drama Desk Award Outstanding Costume Design (''Two Gentlemen of Verona'', winner) *1970 Drama Desk Award Outstanding Costume Design (''Peer Gynt'', winner) *1961 Tony Award Best Costume Design (''The Devil's Advocate'', nominee)

References

External links

* * *Finding Aid for th
Collection of Theoni V. Aldredge
{{DEFAULTSORT:Aldredge, Theoni V. 1922 births 2011 deaths Best Costume Design Academy Award winners Best Costume Design BAFTA Award winners American costume designers Drama Desk Award winners Greek emigrants to the United States DePaul University alumni Opera designers Tony Award winners People from Westchester County, New York Artists from Thessaloniki Women costume designers Deaths from lymphoma Deaths from cancer in Connecticut