Ruth Myers (born 1940) is a British costume designer. She has received two
Academy Award
The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...
nominations as well as two
BAFTA nominations and has won an
Emmy Award for costumes. In 2008, she received the Career Achievement Award at the
Costume Designers Guild Awards.
Career
Ruth Myers grew up in
Manchester
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...
and attended the
St. Martin's School of Art in London. Early in her career, she sewed sequins for
Anthony Powell
Anthony Dymoke Powell ( ; 21 December 1905 – 28 March 2000) was an English novelist best known for his 12-volume work ''A Dance to the Music of Time'', published between 1951 and 1975. It is on the list of longest novels in English.
Powell' ...
while also working as an assistant to Sophie Devine (costume designer for classic English films). Myers then turned to theatre and low-budget films such as the 1967 comedy ''
Smashing Time
''Smashing Time'' is a 1967 British satirical comedy film starring Rita Tushingham and Lynn Redgrave. It is a satire on the 1960s media-influenced phenomenon of ''Swinging London''. It was written by George Melly and directed by Desmond Davis ...
''. Upon being persuaded by
Gene Wilder
Jerome Silberman (June 11, 1933 – August 29, 2016), known professionally as Gene Wilder, was an American actor, comedian, writer and filmmaker. He is known mainly for his comedic roles, but also for his portrayal of Willy Wonka in ''Willy Won ...
, Myers moved to the U.S. and worked with him on the films ''
The World's Greatest Lover
''The World's Greatest Lover'' is a 1977 American comedy film directed, written by and starring Gene Wilder, and co-starring Carol Kane and Dom DeLuise. It is a tribute/spoof of classic silent comedies and "old Hollywood" of the 1920s, specifica ...
'', ''
The Woman in Red'', and ''
Haunted Honeymoon
''Haunted Honeymoon'' is a 1986 American comedy horror film starring Gene Wilder, Gilda Radner, Dom DeLuise and Jonathan Pryce. Wilder also served as writer and director. The title ''Haunted Honeymoon'' was previously used for the 1940 U.S. ...
''.
[
Ruth Myers was the costume designer on the film '']The Russia House
''The Russia House'' is a spy novel by British writer John le Carré published in 1989. The title refers to the nickname given to the portion of the British Secret Intelligence Service that was devoted to spying on the Soviet Union. A film b ...
'', notable for the costumes and splendid clothing worn by Roy Scheider
Roy Richard Scheider (; November 10, 1932 – February 10, 2008) was an American actor and amateur boxer. Described by AllMovie as "one of the most unique and distinguished of all Hollywood actors", he gained fame for his leading and supporting ...
.
Myers acted as costume designer for the 2002 film ''The Four Feathers
''The Four Feathers'' is a 1902 adventure novel by British writer A. E. W. Mason that has inspired many films of the same title. In December 1901, ''Cornhill Magazine'' announced the title as one of two new serial stories to be published in th ...
'', the 2006 film '' Monster House'' and the 2008 film ''City of Ember
''City of Ember'' is a 2008 American science fantasy adventure film based on the 2003 novel '' The City of Ember'' by Jeanne DuPrau. Directed by Gil Kenan in his live-action directorial debut, the film stars Saoirse Ronan, Harry Treadaway, B ...
'' (which were both directed by Gil Kenan
Gil Kenan (October 16, 1976) is a British–American film director, film producer, screenwriter, and animator.
Early life
Kenan was born in London to a Jewish family. When Kenan was three, his family immigrated to Tel Aviv, Israel. He has one br ...
). She worked with Kevin Spacey
Kevin Spacey Fowler (born July 26, 1959) is an American actor. He began his career as a stage actor during the 1980s, obtaining supporting roles before gaining a leading man status in film and television. Spacey has received various accolade ...
in the films '' L.A. Confidential'' and '' Beyond the Sea''. For the latter production, she used textiles from the 1950s and 1960s and ultimately designed 65 outfit changes for Spacey that appear in the film. The actor, who portrayed singer Bobby Darin
Bobby Darin (born Walden Robert Cassotto; May 14, 1936 – December 20, 1973) was an American musician and actor. He performed jazz, pop, rock and roll, folk, swing, and country music.
He started his career as a songwriter for Connie ...
, had to wear a wide range of costumes as a reflection of his life's journey, from bright suits to his signature red sweater.
In 2008 Myers received the Career Achievement Award at the Costume Designers Guild Awards.Vampire Academy
''Vampire Academy'' is a series of six young adult paranormal romance novels by American author Richelle Mead. It tells the story of Rosemarie "Rose" Hathaway, a dhampir girl, who is training to be a guardian of her moroi best friend, Vasilisa " ...
''. The following year, Myers oversaw costume design for the television miniseries '' Hemingway & Gellhorn''. Myers' efforts earned her a nomination in the outstanding made-for-television movie or miniseries category at the Costume Designers Guild Awards.
Ruth Myers is the proprietor of Ruth Myers Costume Design.
Award history
Oscar nominations
Both are in the category of Best Costumes.
*64th Academy Awards
The 64th Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honored the best films of 1991 in the United States and took place on March 30, 1992, at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles beg ...
-Nominated for ''The Addams Family
''The Addams Family'' is a fictional family created by American cartoonist Charles Addams. They originally appeared in a series of 150 unrelated single-panel cartoons, about half of which were originally published in ''The New Yorker'' over ...
''. Lost to '' Bugsy''.69th Academy Awards
The 69th Academy Awards ceremony, organized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) took place on March 24, 1997, at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles beginning at 6:00 p.m. PST / 9:00 p.m. EST. During the cerem ...
-Nominated for '' Emma''. Lost to ''The English Patient
''The English Patient'' is a 1992 novel by Michael Ondaatje. The book follows four dissimilar people brought together at an Italian villa during the Italian Campaign of the Second World War. The four main characters are: an unrecognisably burn ...
''.
Emmy nominations
Both are for costumes.
*56th Primetime Emmy Awards
The 56th Primetime Emmy Awards were held on Sunday, September 19, 2004. The ceremony was hosted by Garry Shandling and was broadcast on ABC.
The HBO miniseries ''Angels in America'' had the most successful night. It became the first program ...
-'' Carnivàle''-Won.
*64th Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards
The 64th Annual Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards ceremony was held on September 15 at the Nokia Theatre in Downtown Los Angeles and was televised September 22, 2012 on ReelzChannel. This is in conjunction with the annual Primetime Emmy Aw ...
-Nominated for '' Hemingway & Gellhorn''. Lost to '' Great Expectations''.
BAFTA nominations
Both are for Best Costume Design.
* 23rd British Academy Film Awards-Nominated for ''Isadora
Isidora or Isadora is a female given name of Greek origin, derived from Ἰσίδωρος, ''Isídōros'' (a compound of Ἶσις, ''Ísis'', and δῶρον, ''dōron'': "gift of he goddessIsis").
The male equivalent is Isidore.
The name surviv ...
''. Lost to ''Oh! What a Lovely War
''Oh! What a Lovely War'' is a 1969 British comedy musical war film directed by Richard Attenborough (in his directorial debut), with an ensemble cast, including Maggie Smith, Dirk Bogarde, John Gielgud, John Mills, Kenneth More, Laurence Ol ...
''.
* 51st British Academy Film Awards-Nominated for '' L.A. Confidential''. Lost to ''Mrs Brown
''Mrs Brown'' (also theatrically released as ''Her Majesty, Mrs Brown'') is a 1997 British drama film starring Judi Dench, Billy Connolly, Geoffrey Palmer, Antony Sher, and Gerard Butler in his film debut. It was written by Jeremy Brock and ...
''.
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Myers, Ruth (costume designer)
1940 births
British costume designers
Living people
Designers from Greater Manchester
Primetime Emmy Award winners
Women costume designers