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 costum ...
and
production designer
In film and television, a 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. Work ...
for both stage and film.
Career
Roger Furse was the son of
Lieutenant General
Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank 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 battlefield, who was norma ...
Sir
William Furse
Lieutenant General Sir William Thomas Furse, (21 April 1865 – 31 May 1953) was a senior British Army officer who served as Master-General of the Ordnance during the First World War.
Early life and family
Furse was born in Staines-upon-Thames, ...
and Jean Adelaide Evans-Gordon. He was educated at
St George's School, Windsor Castle, at
Eton College
Eton College ( ) is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school providing boarding school, boarding education for boys aged 13–18, in the small town of Eton, Berkshire, Eton, in Berkshire, in the United Kingdom. It has educated Prime Mini ...
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 ...
in London.
Furse 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
Laurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier ( ; 22 May 1907 – 11 July 1989) was an English actor and director. He and his contemporaries Ralph Richardson and John Gielgud made up a trio of male actors who dominated the British stage of the m ...
'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, Mai ...
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. Bl ...
'' at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden
The Royal Opera House (ROH) is a theatre in Covent Garden, central London. The building is often referred to as simply Covent Garden, after a previous use of the site. The ROH is the main home of The Royal Opera, The Royal Ballet, and the Orch ...
.
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 director#In film, art direction and costume design of Olivier's film version of Hamlet (1948 film), ''Hamlet'' (1948).["Hamlet" @ Awards Databases] He also worked with Olivier on his films Richard III (1955 film), ''Richard III'' (1955) and ''The Prince and the Showgirl'' (1957).[
His other film credits include ''Odd Man Out'' (1947), ''Ivanhoe (1952 film), Ivanhoe'' (1952), ''Knights of the Round Table (1953 film), Knights of the Round Table'' (1953), ''Helen of Troy (1956 film), Helen of Troy'' (1956), ''Saint Joan (1957 film), Saint Joan'' (1957) and ''The Roman Spring of Mrs Stone'' (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 (1960 film), Spartacus'' (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 in 1961 for his set design of the Broadway theatre, Broadway hit drama, ''Duel of Angels''.
]
Family
Roger Furse's first wife was Margaret Furse (''nee'' Watts), who was also an Academy Award-winning costume designer. His portrait of her is included in the permanent collection of the National Portrait Gallery (London), National Portrait Gallery in London.[ She died in 1986.
He did not have any children from either of his marriages.
The actress Judith Furse was his younger sister.][
]
References
External links
*
*
Roger Furse
in AusStage
W.H. Crain Costume and Scene Design Collection
at the Harry Ransom Center
{{DEFAULTSORT:Furse, Roger Kemble
1903 births
1972 deaths
Alumni of the Slade School of Fine Art
Best Art Direction Academy Award winners
Best Costume Design Academy Award winners
English expatriates in the United States
English art directors
English costume designers
Military personnel from Kent
People educated at Eton College
People educated at St George's School, Windsor Castle
People from Ightham
Royal Navy personnel of World War II