| Honorific-Prefix: | Excelentísima Señora Doña |
| Yvonne Blake | |
| Honorific-Suffix: | MML |
| Birth Name: | Yvonne Ann Blake |
| Birth Date: | 17 April 1940 |
| Birth Place: | Manchester, England |
| Death Date: | 17 July 2018 (aged 78) |
| Death Place: | Madrid, Spain |
| Occupation: | Costume designer |
| Yearsactive: | 1966–2011 |
| Children: | 1 |
Yvonne Ann Blake (17 April 1940 – 17 July 2018) was an English and Spanish costume designer. She is perhaps best known for creating the costumes for Richard Donner's acclaimed superhero film Superman (1978) and its sequel, Richard Lester's Superman II (1980). She has been nominated for the Academy Award for Best Costume Design two times, winning along with Antonio Castillo for their work on Nicholas and Alexandra (1971).
Blake was born in Manchester, England, on 17 April 1940. At 16, she won one-year scholarship to study art, design, and sculpture at the Manchester's Regional College of Art and then acquired an internship at London's costume house Bermans.
Blake began her career as an assistant costume designer at Hammer Film Productions, working on the thriller drama film Never Take Sweets from a Stranger (1960) and the horror film The Shadow of the Cat (1961). She received her first major screen credits for designing costumes in Daniel Mann's 1966 drama film Judith, starring Sophia Loren.
Blake went to Spain for the first time in 1968. She was preparing wardrobes for Richard Quine's 1969 Western comedy film A Talent for Loving, and while on the sets, she was introduced to then-assistant director, Spaniard Gil Carretero, whom she later married.
In 1970, Hollywood film producer Sam Spiegel approached her to collaborate with director Franklin J. Schaffner on creating the costumes for his epic period drama Nicholas and Alexandra (1971), about the last of Romanov's dynasty. Blake, then-29-year-old, signed on the project, which she recalled as the biggest challenge of her career. During extensive preparations for that large-scale production, she was in charge of several departments and caught in the middle of a creative team conflict. Blake felt extremely exhausted at the end of the filming and even considered quitting the profession altogether. Despite various obstacles, her efforts, along with those of fellow collaborator Antonio Castillo, ultimately paid off, winning them the Academy Award for Best Costume Design. Accepting an Oscar, she said "If it wasn’t for the Russian Revolution, I wouldn’t be here."
In October 2016, Blake was elected president of the Academy of Cinematographic Arts and Sciences of Spain.[1] From that position, she fought to broaden the academy's horizons and encourage cooperation with international associations. Blake arranged a meeting between the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and its Spanish counterpart on the one-year anniversary of her election. She was also among the driving forces behind the Federation of Ibero-American Film Academies.
Blake suffered a stroke in January 2018 and had been on medical leave from the presidency, with Mariano Barroso served as interim president in her absence. He was later elected in his own right in June of that year.[2]
Blake died of complications from a stroke in Madrid on 17 July 2018, at age 78.[3] [4]
Academy Awards
| Year | Category | Nominated work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1972 | Best Costume Design | Nicholas and Alexandra | [5] | |
| 1976 | The Four Musketeers | [6] |
| Year | Category | Nominated work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| British Academy Film Awards | ||||
| 1972 | Best Costume Design | Nicholas and Alexandra | [7] | |
| 1974 | Jesus Christ Superstar | [8] | ||
| 1975 | The Three Musketeers | [9] | ||
| 1976 | The Four Musketeers | [10] | ||
| Year | Category | Nominated work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Primetime Emmy Awards | ||||
| 1987 | Outstanding Costumes for a Miniseries, Movie, or Special | Casanova | [11] | |
| 2002 | James Dean | |||