1. William Travilla, known professionally as Travilla, was an American costume designer for theatre, film, and television.
13 Facts About William Travilla
1. 2.
William Travilla is perhaps best known for designing costumes for Marilyn Monroe in eight of her films, as well as two of the most iconic dresses in cinematic history.
3.
When Travilla was sixteen, he began to frequent burlesque clubs in order to design the dancers' costumes.
4.
William Travilla sold pencil sketches of costume designs to the showgirls.
5.
William Travilla spent a year in the South Seas and Tahiti, an area which influenced his art work and designs.
6.
William Travilla began selling Tahiti-inspired paintings at the popular tiki bar Don The Beachcomber.
7.
The film was a hit and William Travilla was hired to design costumes for Sheridan in her next film, the 1948 Western Silver River.
8.
William Travilla went on to design the costumes for several more of her films.
9.
Besides winning his first Oscar, William Travilla was nominated for the Academy Award for How to Marry a Millionaire in 1953, There's No Business Like Show Business in 1954 and The Stripper in 1963.
10.
William Travilla was nominated for Emmy Awards seven times for his work on television.
11.
William Travilla designed several evening gowns for Lena Horne in the 1980s.
12.
On November 2,1990, William Travilla died of lung cancer at Good Samaritan Medical Center in Los Angeles, California.
13.
An exhibition of the personal collection of William Travilla began a world tour in 2008.