Bill Hargate (1935–2003) was an American

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 costum ...

, known for his work on stage and screen. He won four

Emmy The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award catego ...

Awards, including one for his work on the series ''

Murphy Brown ''Murphy Brown'' is an American television sitcom created by Diane English that premiered on November 14, 1988, on CBS. The series stars Candice Bergen as the eponymous Murphy Brown, a famous investigative journalist and news presenter, news anch ...

.''Bill Hargate Papers
DePaul University Special Collections and Archives. Accessed 24 February 2017. Hargate was born in

St. Louis St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a populatio ...

Missouri Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it border ...

in 1935. He attended the

Goodman School of Drama The Theatre School at DePaul University, previously the Goodman School of Drama (also known as TTS and GSD, respectively) is the drama school of DePaul University. Originally associated with the Goodman Theatre, its first class was conducted at ...

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

from 1953 to 1958. Hargate died from

leukemia Leukemia ( also spelled leukaemia; pronounced ) is a group of blood cancers that usually begin in the bone marrow and produce high numbers of abnormal blood cells. These blood cells are not fully developed and are called ''blasts'' or '' ...

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

on September 12, 2003.

Career

Hargate began his career in St. Louis, where he did costume design, particularly for productions by the

St. Louis Municipal Opera The St. Louis Municipal Opera Theatre (commonly known as The Muny) is an amphitheatre, amphitheater located in St. Louis, Missouri. The theatre seats 11,000 people with about 1,500 free seats in the last nine rows that are available on a first ...

in the early 1960s. Then, Hargate worked with Theoni V. Aldredge and

Donald Brooks Donald Brooks (January 9, 1928 – August 1, 2005) was an American fashion designer and creator of the "American Look" founded in the 1950s and 1960s. He had an immense passion for stage and film, designing well over 3500 costumes. His effor ...

on Broadway. In the late 1960s, Hargate went to

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood ...

to work on '' Star!'' (1968) with Brooks. In the 1970s, Hargate transitioned to working on television, starting at

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...

Burbank Studios The Burbank Studios (formerly known as NBC Studios) is a television production facility located in Burbank, California, United States. The studio is home to ''Days of Our Lives'', ''Extra'', the ''IHeartRadio Theater'', and was formerly home ...

where he worked on hundreds of costumes each week for NBC's programs. Next, he moved on to costuming for

Universal Studios Universal Studios may refer to: * Universal Studios, Inc., an American media and entertainment conglomerate ** Universal Pictures, an American film studio ** Universal Studios Lot, a film and television studio complex * Various theme parks operat ...

. In 1979, Hargate designed costumes for the Broadway revivals of ''

Peter Pan Peter Pan is a fictional character created by Scottish novelist and playwright J. M. Barrie. A free-spirited and mischievous young boy who can fly and never grows up, Peter Pan spends his never-ending childhood having adventures on the mythical ...

'' and ''

Oklahoma! ''Oklahoma!'' is the first musical theater, musical written by the duo of Rodgers and Hammerstein. The musical is based on Lynn Riggs's 1931 play, ''Green Grow the Lilacs (play), Green Grow the Lilacs''. Set in farm country outside the town of ...

''. Starting in the 1980s, Hargate worked as a freelance designer for television shows and specials. For his costume design, he was nominated for twelve and won four Emmys. In 1985, Hargate opened Bill Hargate Costumes, a business which makes and rents costumes for film, television, stage productions, and awards shows.

Best-known work

With his work for ''Murphy Brown'', Hargate created an iconic look. He dressed actress

Candice Bergen Candice Patricia Bergen (born May 9, 1946) is an American actress. She won five Primetime Emmy Awards and two Golden Globe Awards as the title character on '' Murphy Brown'' (1988–1998, 2018). She is also known for her role as Shirley Schmi ...

in trendsetting, modern career looks'','' using colorful blazers, short skirts, and high heels. This look, especially the red silk blazer in the first episode, was emulated by New York fashion collections for years. He modeled the costumes of Bergen's co-star, Faith Ford, off the dress code of

Miss America Miss America is an annual competition that is open to women from the United States between the ages of 18 and 28. Originating in 1921 as a "bathing beauty revue", the contest is judged on competition segments with scoring percentages: ''Priva ...

pageant winners. In 1997, Hargate began costuming the Miss America pageant itself. Later in his career, Hargate also dressed celebrities for special events. He dressed

Annie Potts Anne Hampton Potts (born October 28, 1952) is an American actress. She was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for '' Corvette Summer'' (1978) and won a Genie Award for '' Heartaches'' (1981), before appearing in ''Ghostbusters'' (1984), ''Pretty ...

Kim Basinger Kimila Ann Basinger ( ; born December 8, 1953) is an American actress. She has garnered acclaim for her work in film, for which she has received various accolades including an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, a ...

Barbara Mandrell Barbara Ann Mandrell (born December 25, 1948) is an American retired country music singer and musician. She is also credited as an actress and author. During the late 1970s and early 1980s, she was considered among country's most successful mus ...

Ethel Merman Ethel Merman (born Ethel Agnes Zimmermann; January 16, 1908 – February 15, 1984) was an American singer and actress. Known for her distinctive, powerful voice, and her leading roles in musical theatre, musical theater,Obituary ''Variety Obitua ...

and

Mary Tyler Moore Mary Tyler Moore (December 29, 1936 – January 25, 2017) was an American actress, producer, and social advocate. She is best known for her roles on '' The Dick Van Dyke Show'' (1961–1966) and ''The Mary Tyler Moore Show'' (1970–1977), whic ...

for various awards shows. For the 1992

Academy Awards The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence in ...

, his dress for

Geena Davis Virginia Elizabeth "Geena" Davis (born January 21, 1956) is an American actor. She is the recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award. Davis made her acting debut in the satirical romantic comedy ''Toots ...

was widely commented upon (and criticized). Hargate received the Aldo Award from the Menswear Association of America in 1995 and the

Costume Designers Guild The Costume Designers Guild (CDG), is a labor union, union of professional costume designers, assistant designers, and illustrators working in film, television, commercials and other media. Founded in 1953, the CDG comprises over 1,200 members as ...

's Lifetime Achievement Award in 2001.

Television work

Bill Hargate costumed the following productions: * The 29th People's Choice Awards *

(1997 - 2002) * ''

Amy Grant Amy Lee Grant (born November 25, 1960) is an American singer-songwriter and musician. She began her music career in contemporary Christian music (CCM) before crossing over to pop music in the mid-1980s. Grant has been referred to as "Honorific ...

... A Christmas to Remember'' * '' Over the Top'' (1997 - 1998) * ''

'' (1988 - 1997) ** Won 1991 Emmy Award for Outstanding Costuming in a Series * ''Love & War'' (1992 - 1996) * ''Barbara Mandrell: Steppin' Out'' ** 1996 Nominee for Outstanding Costume Design for a Variety or Music Program * '' The Home Court'' (1995 - 1996) * '' The Louie Show'' * ''

Double Rush ''Double Rush'' is an American sitcom that aired on CBS from January 4 to April 12, 1995. The series stars Robert Pastorelli as the manager of a bicycle messenger service in New York City.McNeil, Alex, ''Total Television: The Comprehensive Guid ...

'' * ''David Foster's Christmas Album'' ** 1994 Emmy Award Nominee for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Costume Design for a Variety or Music Program * ''Motown 30: What's Goin' On!'' * ''Sunday Night With

Larry King Larry King (born Lawrence Harvey Zeiger; November 19, 1933 – January 23, 2021) was an American TV and radio host presenter, author, and former spokesman. He was a WMBM radio interviewer in the Miami area in the 1950s and 1960s and beginning in ...

'' * ''Ann Jillian'' (1989 - 1990) * ''Opryland Celebrates 200 Years of America's Music'' ** 1988 Nominee for Outstanding Costume Design for a Variety or Music Program * ''Barbara Mandrell's Christmas: A Family Reunion'' * ''Me and Mrs. C.'' (1985 - 1987) * ''

My Sister Sam ''My Sister Sam'' is an American television sitcom starring Pam Dawber and Rebecca Schaeffer that aired on CBS from October 6, 1986, to April 12, 1988. Synopsis The sitcom follows the lives of a 29-year-old San Francisco freelance photographe ...

'' ** 1987 Nominee for Outstanding Achievement in Costuming for a Series * ''Handsome Harry's'' * ''Miss Hollywood,'' 1986 * ''Sylvia Fine Kaye's Musical Comedy Tonight III'' ** Won 1986 Emmy Award for Outstanding Costume Design for a Variety or Music Program * ''Barbara Mandrell: Something Special'' * ''Barbara Mandrell and the Mandrell Sisters'' ** 1982 Nominee for Outstanding Costume Design for a Regular or Limited Series * ''I Love Liberty'' * ''Once Upon a Brothers Grimm'' ** Won 1978 Emmy Award for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Children's Programming * '' Doug Henning's World of Magic'' ** 1978 Emmy Award Nominee for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Costume Design for a Variety or Music Program *''Neil Sedaka: Steppin' Out'' **1977 Nominee for Outstanding Achievement in Individual Costume Design for a Variety or Music Program *''

Pinocchio Pinocchio ( , ) is a fictional character and the protagonist of the children's novel, ''The Adventures of Pinocchio'' (1883) by Italian writer Carlo Collodi of Florence, Tuscany. Pinocchio was carved by a poor man named Geppetto in a Tuscan vil ...

'' (CBS, 1976) starring

Sandy Duncan Sandra Kay Duncan (born February 20, 1946) is an American actress, comedian, dancer and singer. She is known for her performances in the Broadway revival of ''Peter Pan'', the sitcom '' The Hogan Family'', and the Disney films '' The Million D ...

**Won 1977 Emmy Award for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Children's ProgrammingBill Hargate Awards at IMDb
/ref> * ''Annie and the Hoods'' * ''McCloud: Who Killed Miss U.S.A.?'' * ''The D.A.: Murder One'' * ''Ink'' * ''Love and Curses... And All That Jazz'' * ''The Movie Murderer'' * ''The Psychiatrist: God Bless the Children''

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Hargate, Bill American costume designers People from St. Louis Primetime Emmy Award winners DePaul University Special Collections and Archives holdings 1935 births 2003 deaths