Alebery Wolsky, a French costume designer best known for his work on the sets of All That Jazz, Bugsy, Grease, and You’ve Got Mail, has passed away. He was 95 years old.
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Wolsky’s niece, Marisa, confirmed his passing, telling The Hollywood Reporter that he died on Saturday at his Hollywood Hills residence.
Born in November 1930, Wolsky began his career as a costume designer in the 1960s. When he first started working in theatre, Wolsky assisted costume designer Ann Roth on A Case of Libel and The Odd Couple before teaming up with Patricia Zipprodt on Fiddler on the Roof and with Theoni Aldredge on Illya Darling.
Wolsky worked on his own for the first time, designing for Generation in 1965. He went on to become the principal costume designer for The Sunshine Boys and Sly Fox.
His first film was The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter in 1968. A decade later, he worked on the set of Grease, and a year after that, he won his first Academy Award for his work on All That Jazz. He won his second Academy Award for Bugsy in 1991.
Wolsky received Academy Award nominations for his work on Sophie’s Choice, The Journey of Natty Gann, Toys, Across the Universe, and Revolutionary Road. He was also dubbed Costume Designer of the Year by the Hollywood Finn Award in 2004.
The last film he worked on was the 2022 mystery-comedy-thriller Amsterdam, starring Christian Bale, Margot Robbie, and John David Washington.
Wolsky Previously Reflected On His Highly Successful Costume Designing Career
During a 2024 interview with Hollywood Authentic, Wolsky reflected on his career, including what drew him into fashion and theatre work.
“I never knew what I wanted to do,” he explained. “And I kept sort of wandering along and got through college, and then I was drafted, so I went in the army for two years. When I came out, I joined my father, who was a travel agent. We worked together in New York City for around five years.”
Although he and his father got along well, Wolsky wasn’t in love with the work that he was doing. “I was getting more and more miserable to the point where I dreaded weekends because I had to come back to work on Monday. So I thought, well, I’ll have to go in and say, ‘I have to leave,’ and he’s going to say, ‘For what?’ And I would need to say something.”
Noting he liked fashion and loved theatre, Wolsky thought combining both interests would give him a career he loves. His father was notably supportive.
“I was persistent,” he continued. “And eventually someone suggested I should talk to the renowned Broadway costume designer Helene Pons. She was a designer, but she also ran a costume house and had executed Cecil Beaton’s costume sketches for My Fair Lady in 1956.”
He worked with Pons for a while, making $100 a week.