Phyllis Dalton, Oscar-Winning Costume Designer for ‘Lawrence of Arabia’ and ‘Doctor Zhivago,’ Dies at 99
Phyllis Dalton, the two-time Oscar-winning costume designer behind classics like “Lawrence of Arabia,” “Doctor Zhivago” and “The Princess Bride,” has died at the age of 99, according to The Telegraph.
Dalton’s two Oscar wins came nearly a quarter century apart, first for her work on David Lean’s 1965 historical epic “Doctor Zhivago,” and then again for Kenneth Branagh’s 1989 adaptation of Shakespeare’s “Henry V,” in which the actor-director famously performs the Bard’s iconic St. Crispin’s Day speech.
Ironically, “Henry V” also served as the start of Dalton’s career. A native of Chiswick and a graduate of Ealing Art College, the British designer got her start in film as a wardrobe assistant on Lawrence Olivier’s adaptation of “Henry V” back in 1944. After nearly a decade of learning the trade, Dalton got her first costume designer credit on “Rob Roy: The Highland Rogue” starring Richard Todd and Glynis Johns in 1953. Her early work also included designing an 18th century naval outfit for Robert Stack in one of his most famous lead roles in “John Paul Jones.”
Perhaps Dalton’s greatest contribution to cinematic history is her work on Lean’s “Lawrence of Arabia,” in which she designed Peter O’Toole’s iconic white robes as T.E. Lawrence. Dalton drew her inspiration for the outfit, as well as for those worn by Alec Guinness and the rest of the film’s cast, from Eric Kennington’s pastel illustrations for Lawrence’s autobiography “Seven Pillars of Wisdom,” as well as from historical photographs at the Imperial War Museum in London.
After working on “Arabia” and “Zhivago” with Lean, Dalton earned another nomination for her work on Carol Reed’s Best Picture-winning “Oliver!,” which was easier to design for with the descriptive language of Charles Dickens’ “Oliver Twist” but came with a demanding schedule in which hundreds of performers needed to be costumed at the same time on shoot days.
“Although we made it all at Shepperton [Studios], it was like doing two films in one,” Dalton said in a 2000 interview with the British Entertainment History Project. “We had all the sort of dramatic stuff on the stages and then anything that the dancers were doing was on probably the outdoor set, or something else. So there was an awful lot of, wardrobe here, stage there, the outdoor stage there, walking up and down all day.”
Dalton then crafted the fantasy costumes for Rob Reiner’s beloved 1987 film “The Princess Bride,” including the iconic threads worn by Cary Elwes’ swashbuckling pirate and Princess Buttercup’s unforgettable fire swamp dress.
Dalton retired in 1993.
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