Anthea Sylbert (born October 6, 1939) is an American film producer and costume designer, who was active during the "modern era" of American film. She was nominated twice for Academy Awards for Best Costume Design, first at the

47th Academy Awards The 47th Academy Awards were presented Tuesday, April 8, 1975, at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles, California, honoring the best films of 1974. The ceremonies were presided over by Bob Hope, Shirley MacLaine, Sammy Davis Jr., an ...

for ''

Chinatown A Chinatown () is an ethnic enclave of Chinese people located outside Greater China, most often in an urban setting. Areas known as "Chinatown" exist throughout the world, including Europe, North America, South America, Asia, Africa and Austra ...

'' (1974), and then at the

50th Academy Awards The 50th Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honored films released in 1977 and took place on April 3, 1978, at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles beginning at 7:00 p.m. PST ...

for her work on ''

Julia Julia is usually a feminine given name. It is a Latinate feminine form of the name Julio and Julius. (For further details on etymology, see the Wiktionary entry "Julius".) The given name ''Julia'' had been in use throughout Late Antiquity (e.g. ...

'' (1977). In addition, she has more than ten credits as producer or executive producer, including for such works as ''

CrissCross ''CrissCross'' is a 1992 American drama film directed by Chris Menges and written by Scott Sommer, based on his homonymous novel. It stars Goldie Hawn, Arliss Howard, Keith Carradine, Steve Buscemi, and David Arnott. Plot Divorced mom Tracy ...

'' (1991) and the television film '' Truman'' (1995), the latter of which earned Sylbert an Emmy. At the 7th Annual Costume Designers Guild Awards in 2005, Sylbert was an honoree, receiving the Lacoste Career Achievement award for film.

Biography

Early life and education

Anthea Sylbert was born Anthea Gianna Kouros in Brooklyn, New York, on October 6, 1939, to what has been described as a "close-knit Greek family". She was interested in artistic activities as a child, and is reported to have learned to sew from a grandmother. Kouros studied art at Barnard College.

Career

Following her long period of costume design work, Sylbert took on executive production management roles at the vice president level, first at Warner Borothers, then at United Artists, where she was known, in particular, for her skills at conflict resolution when filmmakers were at odds with the studios. After this period, she began a deep partnership with

Goldie Hawn Goldie Jeanne Hawn (born November 21, 1945) is an American actress, dancer, producer, and singer. She rose to fame on the NBC sketch comedy program ''Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In'' (1968–1970), before going on to receive the Academy Award and Go ...

, beginning with the film '' Private Benjamin'' (1980). Ultimately, the two of them created the Hawn/Sylvebert Movie Company, which produced a number of films, including ''

Protocol Protocol may refer to: Sociology and politics * Protocol (politics), a formal agreement between nation states * Protocol (diplomacy), the etiquette of diplomacy and affairs of state * Etiquette, a code of personal behavior Science and technology ...

'' (1984) and '' Something to Talk About'' (1995).

Filmography

The following is Anthea Sylbert's list of credits, primarily as reported by the

British Film Institute The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves film-making and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery to encourage film production, ...

Producing

* 1999, ''If You Believe'' * 1998, ''Giving up the Ghost'' (teleplay) * 1997, ''Hope'' * 1995, ''Truman'' * 1995, ''Something to Talk About'' * 1991, ''Deceived'' * 1991, ''Crisscross'' * 1990, ''My Blue Heaven'' * 1987, ''Overboard'' * 1986, ''Wildcats'' * 1984, ''Protocol''

Costumes and costume design

* 1978, ''F.I.S.T.'' * 1977, ''Julia'' * 1976, ''The Last Tycoon'' * 1976, ''King Kong'' * 1975, ''Shampoo'' * 1974, ''Chinatown'' * 1974, ''The Fortune'' * 1972, ''Bad Company'' * 1971, ''The Cowboys'' * 1971, ''Carnal Knowledge'' * 1969, ''The Illustrated Man'' * 1968, ''Rosemary's Baby''

Other credits

* 2008, ''Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired'', on-screen participant * 1999, ''If You Believe'', writer, with

Richard Romanus Richard Romanus (born Richard Joseph Romanos; February 8, 1945) is an American actor. Among other roles, he has appeared in Martin Scorsese's ''Mean Streets'' and provided voices for Ralph Bakshi's animated films ''Wizards (film), Wizards'' and ' ...

* 1976, ''Mikey and Nicky'', visual consultant

Work on ''Chinatown''

Sylbert worked with ''

'' (1974) from its early days after her brother-in-law Richard Sylbert introduced and recommended her to director

Roman Polanski Raymond Roman Thierry Polański , group=lower-alpha, name=note_a (né Liebling; 18 August 1933) is a French-Polish film director, producer, screenwriter, and actor. He is the recipient of numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, two ...

. Sylber was affectionately know in that close-working, small group of accomplished film-makers as Ant for her penchant for "stringently straight" dark skirts and black turtlenecks. Sylbert was known to be "utterly unafraid to speak truth, no matter how ugly, to anyone, no matter how powerful". Her work was described as breaking with past in its aim at being, "not for beauty or for chic", but rather "to amplify character". Sylbert was nominated for the 1975 Academy Award for Best Costume Design for her work on the film.

Work on ''Julia''

Sylbert was nominated for the 1978 Academy Award for Best Costume Design for her work on the film ''

'' (1977).

Awards and recognition

In addition to the 1975 and 1978 Academy Award nominations for best costume design, Sylbert won an Emmy for her production of '' Truman'' (1995). In 1999, Sylbert and

were nominated for Best Original Screenplay by the

Writers Guild of America The Writers Guild of America is the joint efforts of two different US labor unions representing TV and film writers: * The Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE), headquartered in New York City and affiliated with the AFL–CIO * The Writers Guil ...

for the Christmas film '' If You Believe''. Sylbert was an honoree at the 7th Annual Costume Designers Guild Awards (in 2005), where she received the Lacoste Career Achievement award for film.

Personal life

Sylbert has been married to actor and writer

since August 11, 1985. In 2004, Sylbert and Romanus moved to the Greek island of Skiathos.

References

Additional reading

* * * *

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sylbert, Anthea 1939 births Living people American costume designers Artists from New York City Emmy Award winners