Shirley Ann Russell Explained

Shirley Russell
Birth Name:Shirley Ann Kingdon
Birth Date:11 March 1935
Birth Place:London, England, UK
Death Place:London, England, UK
Occupation:Costume designer
Children:5
Years Active:1956–2002

Shirley Ann Russell (11 March 1935  - 4 March 2002) was a British costume designer. She was nominated twice for the Academy Award for Best Costume Design, for Agatha (1979) and Reds (1981).

Career

Russell studied Fashion at Walthamstow College of Art, and she later attended the Royal College of Art. She ran her own firm of film costumiers, called The Last Picture Frock, particularly specialising in 1930s and 1940s clothing.[1] The firm was sold to the costumier Angels[2] in the 1970s. Her interest in historic costume began when she assisted Doris Langley Moore, the founder of the Bath Costume Museum.[3]

Russell's costume designs were detailed and nuanced, using costume to show subtle distinctions in class.[4] She was known for the weight and authenticity her design lent to characters.[5] She designed for stars such as Vanessa Redgrave in A Song at Twilight,[6] Rudolf Nureyev in Valentino[7] and Roger Daltrey in Lisztomania.[8] Her design for Daltrey was described by Russell as "fantasticated gear" - the jacket had huge labels featuring keyboard motifs.[9] Another "fantasticated design" is 'The Acid Queen' from Tommy.[10]

Collaborations with her husband Ken Russell included: Women in Love, Amelia and the Angel, The Music Lovers, The Devils, The Boy Friend, Savage Messiah, Mahler, Tommy, Lisztomania, and Valentino. Russell's other credits include The Little Prince, Lady Chatterley's Lover, The Return of the Soldier, The Razor's Edge, Hope and Glory, The Bride, Yanks, Gulliver's Travels, I Dreamed of Africa, and Shackleton.

Awards and nominations

Academy Awards

YearCategoryNominated workResultRef.
1979Best Costume DesignAgatha[11]
1981Reds[12]

BAFTA Awards

YearCategoryNominated workResultRef.
British Academy Film Awards
1969Best Costume DesignWomen in Love[13]
1977Valentino[14]
1979Yanks[15]
Agatha
1982Reds[16]
1987Hope and Glory[17]
BAFTA Television Craft Awards
1997Best Costume DesignGulliver's Travels[18]
2001Longitude[19]
2003Shackleton[20]

Emmy Awards

Saturn Awards

Personal life

Russell was born as Shirley Ann Kingdon in London, England. Whilst studying at Walthamstow College of Art, she met her husband the film director Ken Russell, to whom she was married from 1956 to 1978.[22] They both converted to Roman Catholicism prior to their marriage.[23] They had five children: Xavier, James, Alexander, Victoria and Toby. Following her divorce from Ken Russell, she lived for many years with director Jonathan Benson in Chiswick.

Death

She died from cancer[24] in March 2002, one week before her 67th birthday.

External links

Notes and References

  1. News: Obituary: Shirley Russell. Rule. Vera. 2002-03-22. The Guardian. 2019-10-01. en-GB. 0261-3077.
  2. Web site: Angels Corporate – Angels Costumes. Costume suppliers to the entertainment industry, film, television and theatre, photographic, pop promos. en-GB. 2019-10-11.
  3. News: Obituary: Shirley Russell. Rule. Vera. 2002-03-22. The Guardian. 2019-10-01. en-GB. 0261-3077.
  4. Book: Unterberger, Amy L. The St James Women Filmmakers Encyclopedia. Visible Ink Press. 1999. 357.
  5. Garvey. Adrian. 2018. The Boy Friend: Ken Russell's "Anti-Musical". British Culture & Society in the 1970s. 225–234.
  6. Web site: Costume design Russell, Shirley V&A Search the Collections. 2019-10-11. V and A Collections. en. 2019-10-11.
  7. Web site: Valentino Russell, Shirley V&A Search the Collections. 2019-10-11. V and A Collections. en. 2019-10-11.
  8. Web site: Listzomania Russell, Shirley V&A Search the Collections. 2019-10-11. V and A Collections. en. 2019-10-11.
  9. Book: Harper, Sue. Women in British Cinema. Continuum. 2000. 0826447325.
  10. Book: Smith, Justin. British Film Culture in the 1970s. Edinburgh University Press. 2012.
  11. Web site: 52nd Academy Awards . March 2022 . Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences . August 15, 2023.
  12. Web site: 54th Academy Awards . March 2022 . Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences . August 15, 2023.
  13. Web site: 23rd British Academy Film Awards . British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) . August 15, 2023.
  14. Web site: 31st British Academy Film Awards . British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) . August 15, 2023.
  15. Web site: 33rd British Academy Film Awards . British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) . August 15, 2023.
  16. Web site: 36th British Academy Film Awards . British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) . August 15, 2023.
  17. Web site: 41st British Academy Film Awards . British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) . August 15, 2023.
  18. Web site: 43rd British Academy Television Awards . British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) . August 15, 2023.
  19. Web site: 2nd British Academy Television Craft Awards . British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) . August 15, 2023.
  20. Web site: 4th British Academy Television Craft Awards . British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) . August 15, 2023.
  21. Web site: Shirley Russell - Emmy Awards, Nominations, and Wins . Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS) . August 15, 2023.
  22. Web site: BFI Screenonline: Russell, Shirley (1935-2002) Biography. www.screenonline.org.uk. 2019-10-01.
  23. http://www.moviecrazed.com/outpast/russellken.html Ken Russell at Moviecrazed.com
  24. https://books.google.com/books?id=RA71s6Ih9D8C&dq=shirley+russell+2002+cancer+costume&pg=PT83 Raising Hell: Ken Russell and the Unmaking of the Devils