Dorothy Jeakins

Three-time Oscar-winner and 12-time nominee Dorothy Jeakins ranked among Hollywood's most prestigious costume designers and during her long career, she worked on many important films for some of the industry's best directors including Cecil B. DeMille and John Huston. She won her awards for Joan of Arc (1948), Samson and Delilah(1949) -- which she shared with costumer Edith Head -- and Night of the Iguana (1964). Jeakins started out as an artist working for Walt Disney studios as a line drawer and cel painter following studies at Otis Art Institute. She turned to costume design in 1947 after Victor Fleming hired her as a sketch artist for his upcoming Joan of Arc. He liked her work, and she replaced the previously hired costume designer on the film. Around this time, Jeakins also designed costumes for Broadway productions. Excellent examples of her creative versatility can be found in such films as The Greatest Show on Earth (1952), The Ten Commandments (1956), South Pacific (1958), The Music Man (1962), Young Frankenstein (1974) and On Golden Pond (1981).

~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide