Theadora Van Runkle (born Dorothy Schweppe;Theadora Van Runkle obituary
''The Guardian'', 2011-11-11. March 27, 1928 in

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

– November 4, 2011 in

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) was an American

costume designer A costume designer is a person who designs costumes for a film, stage production or television show. The role of the costume designer is to create the characters' outfits or costumes and balance the scenes with texture and colour, etc. The costume ...

.Theadora Van Runkle, Costume Designer, Dies at 83
''New York Times'', 2011-11-08.

Early life

She was born Dorothy Schweppe in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, as the illegitimate daughter of Courtney Bradstreet Schweppe (1885-1958), a reported member of the

Schweppes Schweppes (, ) is a beverage brand that originated in the Republic of Geneva; it is made, bottled and distributed worldwide by multiple international conglomerates, depending on licensing and region, that manufacture and sell soft drinks. Schwep ...

beverage family, and Eltsy Adair (1909-2005). The couple did not stay together, and Eltsy moved to California while Dorothy was still an infant, and raised her on her own. While in her twenties Dorothy began to call herself Theodora, and became a department store fashion illustrator. For a month she worked as a sketch artist for

Dorothy Jeakins Dorothy Jeakins (January 11, 1914 – November 21, 1995) was an American costume designer. Born in San Diego, California, she went to public school in Los Angeles from first grade through high school. When she was a senior at Fairfax High School ...

, an Oscar-winning costume designer. Although she only worked for Jeakins for one month, soon after she departed, Jeakins called her and told her she had recommended her to work on ''

Bonnie and Clyde Bonnie Elizabeth Parker (October 1, 1910May 23, 1934) and Clyde Chestnut (Champion) Barrow (March 24, 1909May 23, 1934) were an American criminal couple who traveled the Central United States with their gang during the Great Depression. The co ...

''.

Personal life

She had two children with her first husband, Robert Lorimer Van Runkle, with whom she divorced. Her second marriage to photographer Bruce McBroom also ended in divorce.

Career

The first films Van Runkle designed costumes for were ''

'' (1967), '' The Thomas Crown Affair'' (1968) and '' The Arrangement'' (1969), all of which starred

Faye Dunaway Dorothy Faye Dunaway (born January 14, 1941) is an American actress. She is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Faye Dunaway, many accolades, including an Academy Awards, Academy Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, three Golden ...

, for whom Van Runkle also designed the gown Dunaway wore to the 1968 Oscars, as well as Dunaway's complete off-screen wardrobe at the time. Theadora Van Runkle was nominated for an

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), ...

for three of her projects: 1967's ''Bonnie and Clyde'', ''

The Godfather Part II ''The Godfather Part II'' is a 1974 American epic crime film produced and directed by Francis Ford Coppola. The film is partially based on the 1969 novel ''The Godfather'' by Mario Puzo, who co-wrote the screenplay with Coppola. ''Part II'' s ...

'' in 1974, and ''

Peggy Sue Got Married ''Peggy Sue Got Married'' is a 1986 American fantasy comedy-drama film directed by Francis Ford Coppola starring Kathleen Turner as a woman on the verge of a divorce, who finds herself transported back to the days of her senior year in high sch ...

'' in 1986. Although not nominated for her work on ''

Troop Beverly Hills ''Troop Beverly Hills'' is a 1989 American comedy film. It is produced by the Weintraub Entertainment Group and directed by Jeff Kanew, starring Shelley Long, Craig T. Nelson, Betty Thomas, Mary Gross, Stephanie Beacham and introducing Jenny Lewis ...

'', in the film, the central character (played by

Shelley Long Shelley Lee Long (born August 23, 1949) is an American actress, singer, and comedian. Long portrayed Diane Chambers on the hit sitcom ''Cheers'' and received five Emmy nominations, winning in 1983 for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Serie ...

) references Van Runkle by name. After being complimented on her dress, Long declares, "It's a Van Runkle, isn't it fabulous?" In 1983, she won an

Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...

for her work on " ''Wizards and Warriors''," a fantasy TV series. She was the recipient of the Costume Designer Guild's Lifetime Achievement Award in 2002.Theadora Van Runkle dies at 83; noted Hollywood costume designer
''Los Angeles Times'', 2011-11-08.

Fashion influence

Van Runkle rejected the advice of

Edith Head Edith Head (October 28, 1897 – October 24, 1981) was an American costume designer who won a record eight Academy Awards for Best Costume Design between 1949 and 1973, making her the most awarded woman in the Academy's history. Head is consi ...

to "do everything in chiffon" when she started her work on ''Bonnie and Clyde''. Instead she followed her instincts to create an image of the "romantic and tragic Depression-era gangsters." At first Dunaway did not want to wear the fluid, easy to wear and pack clothing and calf-length skirts, but as soon as the movie was released "maxiskirts replaced miniskirts, the production of traditional French berets increased, and "women all around America began to search vintage stores and their grandmothers' closets for 1930s vintage pieces." Beatty's double-breasted suits, worn by his character Clyde, also brought the 1930s back in style for 1970s menswear. A similar thing happened after Van Runkle's work on ''The Thomas Crown Affair'' and ''Bullit''. She collaborated with Steve McQueen to create clothes that made McQueen "the king of cool." According to Bauer, "The costume design for both of these films had an immediate and lasting impact on fashion."

Influence on actors

Van Runkle was able to distill the character into the costume design. According to

, who played the leading role of Phyllis Nefler in ''Troop Beverly Hills'', "When I put the dress on, I knew who Phyllis was, and that was perfect, and that had never happened to me before, where a costumer showed me who my character was."

Death

Theadora Van Runkle died at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles of lung cancer on November 4, 2011. She was survived by her son, Maxim Yorick Van Runkle, her daughter, Felicity Van Runkle, and her grandson, Michael Teo Van Runkle.

Filmography

Film

* ''

'' (1967) * '' I Love You, Alice B. Toklas'' (1968) * ''

Bullitt ''Bullitt'' is a 1968 American neo-noir action thriller film directed by Peter Yates and produced by Philip D'Antoni. The picture stars Steve McQueen, Robert Vaughn, and Jacqueline Bisset. The screenplay by Alan R. Trustman and Harry Kleiner ...

'' (1968) * ''

A Place for Lovers ''A Place for Lovers'' ( it, Amanti, french: Le Temps des amants) is a 1968 French-Italian romantic drama film directed by Vittorio De Sica and written by Brunello Rondi, Julian Zimet, Peter Baldwin, Ennio De Concini, Tonino Guerra and Cesare ...

'' (1968), credited as "Costume Designer for Miss Dunaway"' * '' The Thomas Crown Affair'' (1968), credited as "Wardrobe Designer for Miss Dunaway" * '' The Arrangement'' (1969) * ''

The Reivers ''The Reivers: A Reminiscence'', published in 1962, is the last novel by the American author William Faulkner. The bestselling novel was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1963. Faulkner previously won this award for his book ''A Fable'', ...

'' (1969) * ''

Myra Breckinridge ''Myra Breckinridge'' is a 1968 satirical novel by Gore Vidal written in the form of a diary. Described by the critic Dennis Altman as "part of a major cultural assault on the assumed norms of gender and sexuality which swept the western world i ...

'' (1970) * ''

Johnny Got His Gun ''Johnny Got His Gun'' is an anti-war novel written in 1938 by American novelist Dalton Trumbo and published in September 1939 by J. B. Lippincott. The novel won one of the early National Book Awards: the Most Original Book of 1939. A 1971 fil ...

'' (1971) * ''

Ace Eli and Rodger of the Skies An ace is a playing card, die or domino with a single pip. In the standard French deck, an ace has a single suit symbol (a heart, diamond, spade, or club) located in the middle of the card, sometimes large and decorated, especially in the cas ...

'' (1973) * ''

Kid Blue ''Kid Blue'' is a 1973 American Comedy Western film directed by James Frawley and starring Dennis Hopper, Warren Oates, Peter Boyle and Ben Johnson. Plot Bickford Waner, who has failed as a train robber, decides to go straight and get an honest ...

'' (1973) * ''

Mame MAME (formerly an acronym of Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator) is a free and open-source emulator designed to recreate the hardware of arcade game systems in software on modern personal computers and other platforms. Its intention is to preserve ...

'' (1974) * ''

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'' (1976) * ''

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'' (1977) * '' Heaven Can Wait'' (1978), credited as "Costumes for Julie Christie and Dyan Cannon" * '' Same Time, Next Year'' (1978) * ''

The Jerk ''The Jerk'' is a 1979 American comedy film directed by Carl Reiner and written by Steve Martin, Carl Gottlieb, and Michael Elias (from a story by Steve Martin and Carl Gottlieb). This was Martin's first starring role in a feature film. The fil ...

'' (1979) * ''

Heartbeeps ''Heartbeeps'' is a 1981 American romantic science fiction comedy film about two robots who fall in love and decide to strike out on their own. The film was directed by Allan Arkush, written by John Hill, and stars Andy Kaufman and Bernadette ...

'' (1981), credited as "Costumes for Miss Peters" * '' S.O.B.'' (1981) * ''

The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas ''The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas'' is a musical with a book by Texas author Larry L. King and Peter Masterson and music and lyrics by Carol Hall. It is based on a story by King that was inspired by the real-life Chicken Ranch in La Grange ...

'' (1982) * ''

Rhinestone A rhinestone, paste or diamante is a diamond simulant originally made from rock crystal but since the 19th century from crystal glass or polymers such as acrylic. Original Originally, rhinestones were rock crystals gathered from the river ...

'' (1984) * ''

'' (1986) * ''Wildfire'' (1988) * ''

Everybody's All-American ''Everybody's All-American'' is a novel by longtime ''Sports Illustrated'' contributor Frank Deford, published in 1981. It was made into a motion picture, directed by Taylor Hackford. Plot summary The novel tells the story of a fictional famous ...

'' (1988) * ''

'' (1989) * ''

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'' (1990) * ''

The Butcher's Wife ''The Butcher's Wife'' is a 1991 American romantic comedy film, directed by Terry Hughes and starring Demi Moore and Jeff Daniels. The film concerns a clairvoyant woman (Moore) thinks that she's met her future husband, whom she has seen in her d ...

'' (1991) * ''

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'' (1992) * ''

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'' (1995) * ''

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'' (1998) * '' I'm Losing You'' (1998)

Television

* ''

Wizards and Warriors ''Wizards & Warriors'', titled ' in Japan, is an Action game, action platform game, platform video game developed by Rare (company), Rare and published by Acclaim Entertainment and Jaleco for the Nintendo Entertainment System. It was released in ...

'' (1983) * ''

White Dwarf A white dwarf is a stellar core remnant composed mostly of electron-degenerate matter. A white dwarf is very dense: its mass is comparable to the Sun's, while its volume is comparable to the Earth's. A white dwarf's faint luminosity comes fro ...

'' (1995) * ''

The Last Don ''The Last Don'' is a 1996 novel by American author Mario Puzo, best known as the author of the 1969 novel ''The Godfather''. The story follows an aging Mafia Don and his family as they try to retain power. The story alternates between the film ...

'' (1997) * ''

That Championship Season ''That Championship Season'' is a 1972 play by Jason Miller. It was the recipient of the 1973 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and the 1973 Tony Award for Best Play. Plot synopsis The setting is 1972 at the Coach's home in Scranton, Pennsylvania. O ...

'' (1999)

References

External links

*
Theadora Van Runkle costume design drawings
Margaret Herrick Library, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences {{DEFAULTSORT:Van Runkle, Theadora 1928 births 2011 deaths American fashion designers American costume designers Women costume designers Artists from Pittsburgh People from Greater Los Angeles Deaths from lung cancer in California American women fashion designers 21st-century American women