Theoni V. Aldredge

Theoni Aldredge
Born	Theoni Athanasiou Vachlioti (1922-08-22)August 22, 1922 Thessaloniki, Kingdom of Greece
Died	January 21, 2011(2011-01-21) (aged 88) Stamford, Connecticut, U.S.
Education	Art Institute of Chicago (BFA)
Occupation	Costume designer
Spouse	Tom Aldredge ​ (m. 1953)​
Relatives	Deni "Denny" Vachlioti (cousin)[1]

Theoni V. Aldredge (August 22, 1922^[2] – January 21, 2011) was a Greek-American stage and screen costume designer.

Biography

Born Theoni Athanasiou Vachliotis in Thessaloniki in 1922,^[3] Aldredge received her training at the American School in Athens. She emigrated to the United States in 1949 and attended the Goodman School of Drama at the Art Institute of Chicago (now at DePaul University) in Chicago on a scholarship. Her first Broadway theatre assignment was in 1959, designing the wardrobe for Geraldine Page in Tennessee Williams' Sweet Bird of Youth; her most recent was the 2006 revival of A Chorus Line. For twenty years, she was the principal designer for producer Joseph Papp and also designed several musicals for Michael Bennett.^[4]

Career

One of the most honored costume designers of the American theatre, Aldredge received three Tony Awards (for Annie, Barnum, and La Cage aux Folles), as well as 11 other Tony nominations, including such productions as A Chorus Line, 42nd Street, and Dreamgirls. She received numerous honors from the Drama Desk awards and other theatrical groups. In 2002, she received the Irene Sharaff Lifetime Achievement Award from the Theatre Development Fund.^[5]

Aldredge worked extensively in film and television as well. Her productions included Network, Eyes of Laura Mars, and Rich and Famous. She received the Oscar and a British Academy Award for The Great Gatsby in 1974. Her designs for the film were adapted for a clothing line sold exclusively by Bloomingdale's in Manhattan.^[6]

Personal life

She was the wife of American actor Tom Aldredge from 1953 until her death from a cardiac arrest on January 21, 2011, aged 88, in a Stamford, Connecticut hospital.^[7] He died six months later, on July 22, 2011, aged 83, from lymphoma.^[8][9]

Productions

Broadway A Chorus Line (2006 revival) Follies (2001 revival) Annie (1997 revival) Three Sisters (1997 revival) The School for Scandal (1995 revival) Nick & Nora (1991) The Secret Garden (1991) Oh, Kay! (1990 revival) Gypsy (1989 revival) Chess (1988) Dreamgirls (1987 revival) The Rink (1984) La Cage aux Folles (1983) Private Lives (1983 revival) Dreamgirls (1981) Onward Victoria (1981) Woman of the Year (1981) 42nd Street (1980) Barnum (1980) Ballroom (1979) The Grand Tour (1979) Annie (1977) Threepenny Opera (1977 revival) The Belle of Amherst (1976) The Eccentricities of a Nightingale (1976) A Chorus Line (1975) That Championship Season (1972) Two Gentlemen of Verona (1971) The Incomparable Max (1971) The Only Game in Town (1968) I Never Sang for My Father (1968) You Know I Can't Hear You When the Water's Running (1967) Little Murders (1967) Illya Darling (1967) A Delicate Balance (1966) Cactus Flower (1965) Luv (1964) Anyone Can Whistle (1964) I Can Get It for You Wholesale (1962) The Best Man (1960)

Film The Mirror Has Two Faces (1996) The First Wives Club (1996) Mrs. Winterbourne (1996) Addams Family Values (1993) Moonstruck (1987) Ghostbusters (1984) Annie (1982) Can't Stop the Music (1980) Loving Couples (1980) The Rose (1979) The Champ (1979) Eyes of Laura Mars (1978) The Cheap Detective (1978) Network (1976) Three Days Of The Condor (1975) The Great Gatsby (1974) I Never Sang for My Father (1970)[3] Last Summer (1969)[3] No Way To Treat A Lady (1968)

Awards and nominations

• 2001 Tony Award Best Costume Design (Follies, nominee)
• 1991 Tony Award Best Costume Design (The Secret Garden, nominee)
• 1990 Tony Award Best Costume Design (Gypsy, nominee)
• 1984 Tony Award Best Costume Design (La Cage aux Folles, winner)
• 1984 Drama Desk Award Outstanding Costume Design (La Cage aux Folles, winner)
• 1982 Tony Award Best Costume Design (Dreamgirls, nominee)
• 1982 Drama Desk Award Outstanding Costume Design (Dreamgirls, nominee)
• 1981 Tony Award Best Costume Design (42nd Street, nominee)
• 1981 Drama Desk Award Outstanding Costume Design (42nd Street, winner)
• 1981 Drama Desk Award Outstanding Costume Design (Onward Victoria, nominee)
• 1980 Tony Award Best Costume Design (Barnum, winner)
• 1979 Tony Award Best Costume Design (Ballroom, nominee)
• 1979 Drama Desk Award Outstanding Costume Design (Ballroom, nominee)
• 1977 Tony Award Best Costume Design (Annie, winner)
• 1977 Tony Award Best Costume Design (Threepenny Opera, nominee)
• 1977 Drama Desk Award Outstanding Costume Design (Annie, winner)
• 1976 Tony Award Best Costume Design (A Chorus Line, nominee)
• 1976 Drama Desk Award Outstanding Costume Design (Trelawny of the Wells, nominee)
• 1974 Tony Award Best Costume Design (The Au Pair Man, nominee)
• 1974 Academy Award Outstanding Costume Design (The Great Gatsby, winner)
• 1974 British Academy Award (BAFTA) Outstanding Costume Design (The Great Gatsby, winner)
• 1973 Tony Award Best Costume Design (Much Ado About Nothing, nominee)
• 1973 Drama Desk Award Outstanding Costume Design (Much Ado About Nothing, winner)
• 1972 Tony Award Best Costume Design (Two Gentlemen of Verona, nominee)
• 1972 Drama Desk Award Outstanding Costume Design (Two Gentlemen of Verona, winner)
• 1970 Drama Desk Award Outstanding Costume Design (Peer Gynt, winner)
• 1961 Tony Award Best Costume Design (The Devil's Advocate, nominee)

References

1. Denny Vachlioti Greek National Opera
2. Born in 1922 per Social Security Death Index under name Theoni Aldredge
3. Herbert, Ian (1981). "ALDREDGE, Theoni V.". Who's Who in the Theatre. Vol. 1. Gale Research Company. pp. 8–9. ISSN 0083-9833.
4. Simonson, Robert; Jones, Kenneth (January 21, 2011). "Theoni V. Aldredge, Costume Designer of Annie, La Cage, A Chorus Line, Dead at 88". playbill.com. Archived from the original on 24 January 2011. Retrieved 9 February 2019.
5. "TDF Irene Sharaff Award Past Winners". Retrieved 8 October 2016.
6. Times Staff; Wire Reports (22 January 2011). "Theoni Aldredge dies at 78; costume designer". Los Angeles Times. ISSN 0458-3035. Archived from the original on 8 June 2017. Retrieved 8 October 2016.
7. Grimes, William (21 January 2011). "Theoni V. Aldredge, Costume Designer, Dies at 88". NY Times. The New York Times Company. Retrieved 9 February 2019.
8. Fox, Margalit (July 26, 2011). "Tom Aldredge, Character Actor, Dies at 83". The New York Times. p. A19. Retrieved September 6, 2018.
9. BWW News Desk (July 22, 2011). "Tony Nominee Tom Aldredge Passes Away at 83". Broadway World. Wisdom Digital Media. Retrieved September 6, 2018.

External links

• Theoni V. Aldredge at the Internet Broadway Database
• Theoni V. Aldredge at IMDb
• Finding Aid for the Collection of Theoni V. Aldredge