Age, Biography and Wiki

Edith Head (Edith Claire Posener) was born on 28 October, 1897 in San Bernardino, California, U.S., is an American costume designer (1897–1981). Discover Edith Head's Biography, Age, Height, Physical Stats, Dating/Affairs, Family and career updates. Learn How rich is she in this year and how she spends money? Also learn how she earned most of networth at the age of 83 years old?

Popular As Edith Claire Posener
Occupation costume_designer,costume_department,actress
Age 83 years old
Zodiac Sign Scorpio
Born 28 October 1897
Birthday 28 October
Birthplace San Bernardino, California, U.S.
Date of death 24 October, 1981
Died Place Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Nationality United States

We recommend you to check the complete list of Famous People born on 28 October. She is a member of famous Costume Designer with the age 83 years old group.

Edith Head Height, Weight & Measurements

At 83 years old, Edith Head height is 5' 1½" (1.56 m) .

Physical Status
Height 5' 1½" (1.56 m)
Weight Not Available
Body Measurements Not Available
Eye Color Not Available
Hair Color Not Available

Who Is Edith Head's Husband?

Her husband is Charles Head (m. 1923-1938) Wiard Ihnen (m. 1940-1979)

Family
Parents Not Available
Husband Charles Head (m. 1923-1938) Wiard Ihnen (m. 1940-1979)
Sibling Not Available
Children Not Available

Edith Head Net Worth

Her net worth has been growing significantly in 2023-2024. So, how much is Edith Head worth at the age of 83 years old? Edith Head’s income source is mostly from being a successful Costume Designer. She is from United States. We have estimated Edith Head's net worth, money, salary, income, and assets.

Net Worth in 2024 $1 Million - $5 Million
Salary in 2024 Under Review
Net Worth in 2023 Pending
Salary in 2023 Under Review
House Not Available
Cars Not Available
Source of Income Costume Designer

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Timeline

1858

Her father, born in January 1858, was a naturalized American citizen from Germany, who came to the United States in 1876.

1875

Her mother was born in St. Louis, Missouri in 1875, the daughter of an Austrian father and a Bavarian mother.

1895

Max and Anna married in 1895, according to the 1900 United States Federal Census records.

Just before Edith's birth, Max Posener opened a small haberdashery in San Bernardino, which failed within a year.

The marriage did not survive.

1897

Edith Claire Head (née Posenor, October 28, 1897 – October 24, 1981) was an American costume designer who won a record eight Academy Awards for Best Costume Design between 1949 and 1973, making her the most awarded woman in the Academy's history.

Head is considered to be one of the greatest and most influential costume designers in film history.

Born and raised in California, Head started her career as a Spanish teacher, but was interested in design.

1905

In 1905, Anna remarried, this time to mining engineer Frank Spare, originally from Pennsylvania.

The family moved frequently as Spare's jobs moved.

The only place Head could later recall living during her early years was Searchlight, Nevada.

Frank and Anna Spare passed Edith off as their child.

As Frank Spare was a Catholic, Edith ostensibly became one as well.

1919

In 1919, Edith received a Bachelor of Arts degree in letters and sciences with honors in French from the University of California, Berkeley, and in 1920 earned a Master of Arts degree in romance languages from Stanford University.

She became a language teacher with her first position as a replacement at The Bishop's School in La Jolla teaching French.

After one year, she took a position teaching Spanish at the Hollywood School for Girls.

Wanting a slightly higher salary, she told the school that she could also teach art, even though she had only briefly studied the discipline in high school.

To improve her drawing skills, at this point rudimentary, she took evening classes at the Otis Art Institute and Chouinard Art College.

1920

Although Head was featured in studio publicity from the mid-1920s, she was originally overshadowed by Paramount's lead designers, first Howard Greer, then Travis Banton.

1923

After studying at the Chouinard Art Institute in Los Angeles, Head was hired as a costume sketch artist at Paramount Pictures in 1923.

On July 25, 1923, she married Charles Head, the brother of one of her Chouinard classmates, Betty Head.

1924

In 1924, despite lacking art, design, and costume design experience, the 26-year-old Head was hired as a costume sketch artist at Paramount Pictures.

Later she admitted to "borrowing" other students' sketches for her job interview.

1925

She began designing costumes for silent films, commencing with The Wanderer in 1925 and, by the 1930s, had established herself as one of Hollywood's leading costume designers.

1936

She won acclaim for her design of Dorothy Lamour’s trademark sarong in the 1936 film The Jungle Princess, and became a household name after the Academy Award for Best Costume Design was created in 1948.

Head was considered exceptional for her close working relationships with her subjects, with whom she consulted extensively; these included virtually every top female star in Hollywood.

Head worked at Paramount for 44 years.

1937

Her association with the "sarong" dress designed for Dorothy Lamour in The Hurricane (1937) made her well known among the general public, although Head was a more restrained designer than either Banton or Adrian.

1938

Although the marriage ended in divorce in 1938 after a number of years of separation, she continued to be known professionally as Edith Head until her death.

Head was instrumental in conspiring against Banton, and after his resignation in 1938 she became a high-profile designer in her own right.

1940

In 1940 she married award-winning art director Wiard Ihnen, a marriage which lasted until his death in 1979.

Head's marriage to set designer Wiard Ihnen, on September 8, 1940, lasted until his death from prostate cancer in 1979.

1944

She gained public attention for the top mink-lined gown she created for Ginger Rogers in Lady in the Dark (1944), which caused much comment owing to the mood of wartime austerity.

1949

Over the course of her long career, she was nominated for 35 Academy Awards, annually from 1949 (the first year that the Oscar for Best Costume Design was awarded) through 1966, and won eight times – receiving more Oscars than any other woman.

The establishment, in 1949, of the Academy Award for Costume Design further boosted her career, giving her a record-breaking run of Award nominations and wins, beginning with her nomination for The Emperor Waltz.

Head and other film designers like Adrian became well known to the public.

1967

In 1967, the company declined to renew her contract, and she was invited by Alfred Hitchcock to join Universal Pictures.

She worked at Paramount for 43 years until she went to Universal Pictures on March 27, 1967, possibly prompted by her extensive work for director Alfred Hitchcock, who had moved to Universal in 1960.

1973

There she earned her eighth and final Academy Award for her work on The Sting in 1973.

She was born Edith Claire Posener in San Bernardino, California, the daughter of Jewish parents, Max Posener and Anna E. Levy.