Mary Wills(1914-1997)
- Costume Designer
- Costume and Wardrobe Department
- Make-Up Department
Oscar-winning costume designer Mary Lillian Wills studied at
universities in New Mexico and Arizona before graduating with an M.A.
from the Yale School of Drama. She worked in Hollywood for forty years,
mostly free-lancing, except for a spell between 1948 and 1952, when she
was under contract at RKO (for
Samuel Goldwyn). She became known as 'the
fabulous Miss Wills' for her excellence in creating authentic-looking
period, dance and folk costumes for prestige films like
Hans Christian Andersen (1952)
and The Virgin Queen (1955). Her
intricate pencil sketches often included subtle backgrounds, which
provided a measure of additional context. Wills won an Academy Award
for Best Costume Design for
The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm (1962).
In addition to her film work, she also designed for ice revues and Wild
West shows.