Albert Wolsky

Wolsky was born in Paris, France, on November 24, 1930, but during World War II, he and the rest of his family fled to the United States to escape the German occupation.^[1][2] After graduating from the City College of New York, he served in the army from 1953 to 1956, spending most of his enlistment in Japan.^[3] Once he returned to the United States, he began working in his father's travel agency.^[1] However, he decided to change careers and took an assistant's job with notable costume maker Helene Pons.^[4][5] His first show with Pons was Camelot.^[5][1] After a year and a half working together, they went separate ways. The two continued to be friends for years to come.^[1]

Wolsky became a well-regarded costume designer, working both on Broadway and in the motion picture industry.^[2]

He began his career as costume designer for the theatre by assisting costume designer Ann Roth on A Case of Libel (1963);^[1] he later assisted Roth on The Odd Couple (1965), Patricia Zipprodt on Fiddler on the Roof (1964), and Theoni Aldredge on Illya Darling (1967).^[6][7] The first play Wolsky did on his own was Generation in 1965.^[5] He went on to serve as principal costume designer for both plays and musicals, including The Sunshine Boys (1972) and Sly Fox (1976). Wolsky was announced as the designer for the 2012 Broadway production of The Heiress.^[8]

The first film Wolsky worked on was The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter.^[5][9] He had been recommended to the film by Theoni Aldredge.^[1] Wolsky worked on many films including Harry and Tonto, The Turning Point, Grease and Manhattan.^[5] He worked with Bob Fosse, a leading Broadway director, on All That Jazz and won his first Academy Award.^[5][1] Wolsky went on to work with Fosse twice more. He won his second Academy Award for Bugsy in 1991 and has been nominated five other times, most recently for his work on Julie Taymor's Beatles-inspired musical Across the Universe (2007) and Sam Mendes's Revolutionary Road (2008).^{[1][10][6][11]}

In 2010, Wolsky donated his costume design sketches to the Margaret Herrick Library at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.^[12]

Wolsky was a member of the Board of Governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.^[13]

Wolsky's partner of 39 years was actor James Mitchell who died in 2010.^[1][14][15]

Wolsky lived in the Hollywood Hills, and died at home on May 23, 2026, at the age of 95.^[2]

• Academy Awards
  • Winner: All That Jazz, 1980; Bugsy, 1992
  • Nominee: Sophie's Choice, 1983; The Journey of Natty Gann, 1986; Toys, 1993; Across the Universe, 2008; Revolutionary Road, 2009
• Hollywood Film Award, Costume Designer of the Year, 2004
• Costume Designers Guild, Career Achievement Award, 1999
• TDF/Irene Sharaff Lifetime Achievement Award, 2010^[1][16][17]
• Antoinette Perry Award
  • 2013 Best Costume Design of a Play for The Heiress (nominee)
• Drama Desk Award
  • 1976 Outstanding Costume Design for They Knew What They Wanted (nominee)
  • 1976 Outstanding Costume Design for A Memory of Two Mondays / 27 Wagons Full of Cotton (nominee)
  • 1977 Outstanding Costume Design for Sly Fox (nominee)

• Chaneles, Sol & Wolsky, Albert (1974) The Movie Makers: the lives and films of more than 2,500 stars, supporting actors, and directors who have made motion picture history. Secaucus, NJ: Derbibooks