Edith Head

Birthday: October 28, 1897 in San Bernardino, California, USA

Birth Name: Edith Claire Posener

Height: 156 cm

Edith Head was born on October 28, 1897 in San Bernardino, California, USA as Edith Claire Posener. She is known for her work on Ève (1950), Sabrina (1954) and Vacances romaines (1953). She was married to Wiard Ihnen and Charles Head. She died on October 24, 1981 in Los Angeles, California.

What a costume designer does is a cross between magic and camouflage. We create the illusion of chan...Show more »

What a costume designer does is a cross between magic and camouflage. We create the illusion of changing the actors into what they are not. We ask the public to believe that every time they see a performer on the screen he's become a different person. Show less «

[on Kim Novak] I don't usually get into battles, but dressing Kim Novak for her role in Alfred Hitch...Show more »

[on Kim Novak] I don't usually get into battles, but dressing Kim Novak for her role in Alfred Hitchcock's Sueurs froides (1958) put to the test all my training in psychology. Show less «

[Her reaction to losing the 1956 Color Costume Award to La colline de l'adieu (1955)] Charles Le Mai...Show more »

[Her reaction to losing the 1956 Color Costume Award to La colline de l'adieu (1955)] Charles Le Maire is a good friend of mind and I would tell him to his face that his designs were blah compared to my gowns. All the costumes Jennifer Jones wore were chong sams, the traditional Chinese dress, which could have been purchased in Chinatown. That loss was the single greatest disappointment of my costume-design career. Show less «

[on Les cadavres ne portent pas de costard (1982)] I guess I've come full circle when I design the e...Show more »

[on Les cadavres ne portent pas de costard (1982)] I guess I've come full circle when I design the exact dress for Steve Martin that I did for Barbara Stanwyck. Show less «

If it is a Paramount film, I probably designed it.

[on viewing what many tanned actresses wore to the 1966 Academy Awards] I looked at all those white ...Show more »

[on viewing what many tanned actresses wore to the 1966 Academy Awards] I looked at all those white dresses and I thought we were doing a reprise of Noël blanc (1954). Show less «

[1977 comment on Jacqueline Bisset] One of the greatest bodies I've ever worked with. But besides th...Show more »

[1977 comment on Jacqueline Bisset] One of the greatest bodies I've ever worked with. But besides that she is rather the opposite, because she is so damned intelligent. It's a strange combination, almost a double personality. Show less «

[on Grace Kelly] I've dressed thousands of actors, actresses and animals, but whenever I am asked wh...Show more »

[on Grace Kelly] I've dressed thousands of actors, actresses and animals, but whenever I am asked which star is my personal favorite, I answer, "Grace Kelly." She is a charming lady, a most gifted actress and, to me, a valued friend. Show less «

I never thought I did good work for [Cecil B. DeMille]. I always had to do what that conceited old g...Show more »

I never thought I did good work for [Cecil B. DeMille]. I always had to do what that conceited old goat wanted, whether it was correct or not. Show less «

[on winning her fifth Oscar, 1954] I'm going to take it home and design a dress for it.

[on the Hollywood rumor that Mae West was really a man] I've seen Mae West without a stitch and she'...Show more »

[on the Hollywood rumor that Mae West was really a man] I've seen Mae West without a stitch and she's all woman. No hermaphrodite could have bosoms...well, like two large melons. Show less «

I have yet to see one completely unspoiled star, except for Lassie.

In the 1930s, costumes didn't have anything to do with real life. The poor working girl was smothere...Show more »

In the 1930s, costumes didn't have anything to do with real life. The poor working girl was smothered in furs, and [in Lady Lou (1933)] Mae West wore a simple black velvet festooned with rhinestones and ruffles when she met Cary Grant in the park. Show less «

You can lead a horse to water and you can even make it drink, but you can't make actresses wear what...Show more »

You can lead a horse to water and you can even make it drink, but you can't make actresses wear what they don't want to wear. Show less «

I've designed films I've never seen.