Yvonne Blake | |
|---|---|
 Blake at the31st Goya Awards in 2017 | |
| Born | Yvonne Ann Blake 17 April 1940 Manchester, England |
| Died | 17 July 2018 (aged 78) Madrid, Spain |
| Occupation | Costume designer |
| Years active | 1966–2011 |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 1 |
Yvonne Ann Blake (17 April 1940 – 17 July 2018) was a British and Spanishcostume designer. She was best known for creating the costumes forRichard Donner's superhero filmSuperman (1978) ) as well asRichard Lester's sequelSuperman II (1980). Her accolades include anAcademy Award and fourGoya Awards, in addition to nominations for fourBAFTA Awards and twoEmmy Awards.
Blake was born inManchester, England, on 17 April 1940.[1] 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 houseBermans.[2]
Blake began her career as an assistant costume designer atHammer Film Productions, working on the thriller drama filmNever Take Sweets from a Stranger (1960) and the horror filmThe Shadow of the Cat (1961). She received her first major screen credits for designing costumes in Daniel Mann's 1966 drama filmJudith, starringSophia Loren.[3]
Blake went to Spain for the first time in 1968. She was preparing wardrobes forRichard Quine's 1969Western comedy filmA Talent for Loving, and while on the sets, she was introduced to then-assistant director, Spaniard Gil Carretero, whom she later married.[4]
In 1970, Hollywood film producerSam Spiegel approached her to collaborate with directorFranklin J. Schaffner on creating the costumes for his epic period dramaNicholas and Alexandra (1971), about the last ofRomanov'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.[4] Despite various obstacles, her efforts, along with those of fellow collaboratorAntonio Castillo, ultimately paid off, winning them theAcademy Award for Best Costume Design. Accepting an Oscar, she said "If it wasn’t for theRussian Revolution, I wouldn’t be here."[1]
Even though she enjoyed continued success in period dramas, her greatest achievement was designing costumes forRichard Donner's landmark superhero filmSuperman (1978).
In October 2016, Blake was elected president of theAcademy of Cinematographic Arts and Sciences of Spain.[5] From that position, she fought to broaden the academy's horizons and encourage cooperation with international associations. Blake arranged a meeting between the AmericanAcademy 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.[2]
Blake suffered astroke in January 2018 and had been on medical leave from the presidency, withMariano Barroso served as interim president in her absence. He was later elected in his own right in June of that year.[6]
Blake died of complications from astroke inMadrid on 17 July 2018, at age 78.[7][8]
| Year | Category | Nominated work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1971 | Best Costume Design | Nicholas and Alexandra | Won | [9] |
| 1975 | The Four Musketeers | Nominated | [10] |
| Year | Category | Nominated work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| British Academy Film Awards | ||||
| 1971 | Best Costume Design | Nicholas and Alexandra | Nominated | [11] |
| 1973 | Jesus Christ Superstar | Nominated | [12] | |
| 1974 | The Three Musketeers | Nominated | [13] | |
| 1975 | The Four Musketeers | Nominated | [14] | |
| Year | Category | Nominated work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Primetime Emmy Awards | ||||
| 1987 | Outstanding Costumes for a Miniseries, Movie, or Special | Casanova | Nominated | [15] |
| 2002 | James Dean | Nominated | ||
| Award | Year | Category | Title | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goya Awards | 1988 | Best Costume Design | Rowing with the Wind | Won | [16] |
| 1991 | Don Juan in Hell | Nominated | [17] | ||
| 1992 | The Anonymous Queen | Nominated | [18] | ||
| 1994 | Cradle Song | Won | [19] | ||
| 2003 | Carmen | Won | [20] | ||
| 2004 | The Bridge of San Luis Rey | Won | [21] | ||
| 2006 | Goya's Ghosts | Nominated | [22] | ||
| Satellite Awards | 2007 | Best Costume Design | Nominated | [23] | |
| Saturn Awards | 1978 | Best Costume Design | Superman | Nominated | [24] |
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