Alexandra Byrne (born 1962) is an English costume designer. Much of her career has focused on creating costumes for
period drama
A historical drama (also period drama, costume drama, and period piece) is a work set in a past time period, usually used in the context of film and television. Historical drama includes historical fiction and romances, adventure films, and swas ...
s. These films include ''
Persuasion'' (1995), ''
Hamlet
''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...
'' (1996), ''
Elizabeth
Elizabeth or Elisabeth may refer to:
People
* Elizabeth (given name), a female given name (including people with that name)
* Elizabeth (biblical figure), mother of John the Baptist
Ships
* HMS ''Elizabeth'', several ships
* ''Elisabeth'' (sch ...
'' (1998), ''
Finding Neverland'' (2004), ''
The Phantom of the Opera
''The Phantom of the Opera'' (french: Le Fantôme de l'Opéra) is a novel by French author Gaston Leroux. It was first published as a serial in from 23 September 1909 to 8 January 1910, and was released in volume form in late March 1910 by Pier ...
'' (2004), ''
Elizabeth: The Golden Age'' (2007), ''
Mary Queen of Scots
Mary, Queen of Scots (8 December 1542 – 8 February 1587), also known as Mary Stuart or Mary I of Scotland, was Queen of Scotland from 14 December 1542 until her forced abdication in 1567.
The only surviving legitimate child of James V of Sco ...
'' (2018), ''
The Aeronauts'' (2019), and ''
Emma.'' (2020). Byrne's costume design work has earned her six
Oscar
Oscar, OSCAR, or The Oscar may refer to:
People
* Oscar (given name), an Irish- and English-language name also used in other languages; the article includes the names Oskar, Oskari, Oszkár, Óscar, and other forms.
* Oscar (Irish mythology) ...
nominations, and she won the award for ''Elizabeth: The Golden Age''.
Since 2011, Byrne has also designed the costumes for many films in the
Marvel Cinematic Universe
The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is an American media franchise and shared universe centered on a series of superhero films produced by Marvel Studios. The films are based on characters that appear in American comic books published by ...
, including ''
Thor
Thor (; from non, Þórr ) is a prominent god in Germanic paganism. In Norse mythology, he is a hammer-wielding god associated with lightning, thunder, storms, sacred groves and trees, strength, the protection of humankind, hallowing, an ...
'' (2011), ''
The Avengers'' (2012), ''
Guardians of the Galaxy
The Guardians of the Galaxy is a fictional superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics.
It may more specifically refer to:
Comic book teams
* Guardians of the Galaxy (1969 team), the original 31st-century team fr ...
'' (2014), ''
Avengers: Age of Ultron'' (2015), and ''
Doctor Strange'' (2016).
Life and career
Early life
Byrne was born in Hampshire, and grew up amidst many artistic influences. She was raised in
Stratford-upon-Avon, where the
Royal Shakespeare Company is based. She would later tell an interviewer that her career in theatre design was predestined,
and she began by studying architecture with the intention of building sets in theatre.
[ She encountered costume design when studying theatre design with the ]English National Opera
English National Opera (ENO) is an opera company based in London, resident at the London Coliseum in St Martin's Lane. It is one of the two principal opera companies in London, along with The Royal Opera. ENO's productions are sung in English ...
. She later said, "I worked in the theatre for quite a few years, doing costume and set design. In England, it's very much both."[ ] She also trained with the Motley Theatre Design Course.
Byrne oversaw scenery and costumes for the 1989 comedy play ''Some Americans Abroad''. Her work earned her a Tony Award
The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ce ...
nomination for Best Scenic Design. Despite her success, she was unsure if she would focus on set design or costume design. She decided on the latter when she was working on a television project for the BBC's Shakespeare
William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's natio ...
series. Byrne said, "I was assisting a costume designer who was fantastic with fabric. It was with her that I actually thought, 'This is what it's all about. This is what I want to do'".[
In 1993, Byrne created the costumes for all four parts of the TV serial '' The Buddha of Suburbia'' starring ]Naveen Andrews
Naveen William Sidney Andrews (born 17 January 1969) is a British-American actor. He is best known for his role as Sayid Jarrah in the television series '' Lost'' (2004–2010), for which he was nominated for a Golden Globe Award and a Primet ...
. For her costume work in the production, she received a nomination at the British Academy Television Awards.
Period films (1995–2007)
Byrne's first encounter with period costume dramas began when she was hired to create the costumes for the BBC film '' Persuasion''. The production was an adaptation of the novel of the same name by Jane Austen, and featured Amanda Root
Amanda Root (born 1963) is an English stage and screen actress and a former voice actress for children's programmes.
Root is known for her starring role in the 1995 BBC film adaptation of Jane Austen's '' Persuasion'', her role in the Britis ...
as Anne Elliot.[ Byrne had also worked with the film's director, Roger Michell, on ''Some Americans Abroad'' and ''The Buddha of Suburbia''. For her work in ''Persuasion'', Byrne won the British Academy Television Award for Costume Design. The following year, Byrne created the costumes for the 1996 film '']Hamlet
''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...
'' directed by and starring Kenneth Branagh
Sir Kenneth Charles Branagh (; born 10 December 1960) is a British actor and filmmaker. Branagh trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London and has served as its president since 2015. He has won an Academy Award, four BAFTAs (plus ...
,[ with whom she had previously worked on ''Life of Napoleon.''] She received her first Academy Award nomination for Best Costume Design.
In 1998, Byrne served as the costume designer for the feature film ''Elizabeth
Elizabeth or Elisabeth may refer to:
People
* Elizabeth (given name), a female given name (including people with that name)
* Elizabeth (biblical figure), mother of John the Baptist
Ships
* HMS ''Elizabeth'', several ships
* ''Elisabeth'' (sch ...
'', which starred Cate Blanchett as the last Tudor monarch. It featured high production values despite a limited budget. Director Shekhar Kapur
Shekhar Kulbhushan Kapur (born 6 December 1945) is an Indian filmmaker and actor. Born into the Anand-Sahni family, Kapur is the recipient of several accolades, including a BAFTA Award, a National Film Award, a National Board of Review Award a ...
discouraged historical research on Byrne's part, instead favouring clothing that focused on emotion. As a result, Byrne primarily designed costumes emphasising the theatrical rather than the historically accurate. When analysing the film, the scholar Bethany Latham stated that the production's silhouettes were "understated and barely Elizabethan," as they were not meant to distract from the film's plot among viewers. For ''Elizabeth'', Byrne earned her second Academy Award nomination for Best Costume Design.
Byrne oversaw the costumes for the 2004 film '' Finding Neverland'' starring Johnny Depp and Kate Winslet.[ After completing it, Byrne said that when she worked on "a period film, however conceptual a piece it is, I research the period completely so that I absolutely know it. There were photographs from the first production of Peter Pan and of the Llewelyn Davies family".][ That year, '' Daily Variety'' reported that Byrne's "previous two Oscar noms make her a known commodity", and she again garnered a nomination for Best Costume Design at the Academy Awards.
Also in 2004, Byrne designed the costumes for the film '']The Phantom of the Opera
''The Phantom of the Opera'' (french: Le Fantôme de l'Opéra) is a novel by French author Gaston Leroux. It was first published as a serial in from 23 September 1909 to 8 January 1910, and was released in volume form in late March 1910 by Pier ...
''. As research, she studied relics of the era such as paintings and original clothing. Her visits to Paris also gave her inspiration. As her ideas developed and were discussed with the filmmakers, they were placed on a "mood board" of visuals for her to reference. She eventually created 300 original costumes for the main characters, and produced at least 2,000 additional costumes for those in the background.
In 2007, Byrne designed the costumes for ''Elizabeth''s sequel '' Elizabeth: The Golden Age'', also starring Blanchett. As the sequel was set 27 years later, Byrne sought to create costumes for a confident queen "who has found her stride and established her style". Kapur did not feel ''Elizabeth: The Golden Age'' had to be historically accurate, giving Byrne the freedom to make his film "look very different, much lighter, with a more feminine court".[ For her costume design work in the film, Byrne was again nominated for the Academy Award, this time winning.][ ]
Marvel films (2011–2016)
Since 2011, much of Byrne's career has focused on films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe
The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is an American media franchise and shared universe centered on a series of superhero films produced by Marvel Studios. The films are based on characters that appear in American comic books published by ...
. Her first contribution to the franchise, ''Thor
Thor (; from non, Þórr ) is a prominent god in Germanic paganism. In Norse mythology, he is a hammer-wielding god associated with lightning, thunder, storms, sacred groves and trees, strength, the protection of humankind, hallowing, an ...
'' (2011), resulted when she was hired by the film's director, Kenneth Branagh. She had also worked with Branagh on previous productions such as ''Hamlet'' (1996) and ''Sleuth
Sleuth may refer to:
* Detective
*Sleuth, collective noun for a group of bears
Computing
* The Sleuth Kit, a collection of forensic analysis software
*SLEUTH assembler language for the UNIVAC 1107
Entertainment and media
*Cloo
Cloo (stylized ...
'' (2007). Byrne took inspiration from the ''Thor'' comics and the artwork of Jack Kirby
Jack Kirby (born Jacob Kurtzberg; August 28, 1917 – February 6, 1994) was an American comic book artist, writer and editor, widely regarded as one of the medium's major innovators and one of its most prolific and influential creators. He gre ...
, which she described as "amazing". She later said that for Thor's character, "it's all about his arms".[ After ''Thor'', Byrne's next ''Marvel'' project was the 2012 film '' The Avengers'', where she oversaw a team of over 60 people.
She followed ''The Avengers'' with '']Guardians of the Galaxy
The Guardians of the Galaxy is a fictional superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics.
It may more specifically refer to:
Comic book teams
* Guardians of the Galaxy (1969 team), the original 31st-century team fr ...
'' in 2014, which she described as having a "very retro, pulpy feel". As with ''Thor'', Byrne found much of her inspiration from the comics.[ The production's main actor, Chris Pratt, was hired before he had lost enough body weight, forcing Byrne to anticipate what his physical form would become.][ When describing Pratt's character ]Star-Lord
Star-Lord (Peter Jason Quill) is a fictional character and superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character, created by Steve Englehart and Steve Gan, first appeared in '' Marvel Preview'' #4 (January 197 ...
in ''Guardians of the Galaxy'', Byrne said he "was all about the swagger, but without vanity" and designed a red jacket for him that was heavily treated cotton, though it looked like real leather.[ Her next project, '' Avengers: Age of Ultron'', arrived in cinemas in May 2015.][
Byrne is the costume designer for the 2016 Marvel film '' Doctor Strange'' starring ]Benedict Cumberbatch
Benedict Timothy Carlton Cumberbatch (born 19 July 1976) is an English actor. Known for his work on screen and stage, he has received various accolades, including a British Academy Television Award, a Primetime Emmy Award and a Laurence Oli ...
, which began shooting in November 2015 at Pinewood-Shepperton studios in the UK. For Strange's famous Cloak of Levitation
Doctor Stephen Strange is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Steve Ditko, the character first appeared in ''Strange Tales'' #110 (cover-dated July 1963). Doctor Strange serves as Sorce ...
, Byrne estimated that twelve different versions were completed by a team of designers. She sought to incorporate subtle details while avoiding making it "over-embellish dand decorative".
Personal life
Byrne married English actor Simon Shepherd in 1980.
Filmography
Awards and nominations
Notes
References
Works cited
*
*
*
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Byrne, Alexandra
BAFTA winners (people)
Best Costume Design Academy Award winners
Living people
British costume designers
Women costume designers
People from Stratford-upon-Avon
1962 births