Age, Biography and Wiki

William Travilla was born on 22 March, 1920 in Los Angeles, California, U.S., is an American costume designer (1920–1990). Discover William Travilla's Biography, Age, Height, Physical Stats, Dating/Affairs, Family and career updates. Learn How rich is he in this year and how he spends money? Also learn how he earned most of networth at the age of 70 years old?

Popular As N/A
Occupation Fashion designer
Age 70 years old
Zodiac Sign Aries
Born 22 March 1920
Birthday 22 March
Birthplace Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Date of death 2 November, 1990
Died Place Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Nationality United States

We recommend you to check the complete list of Famous People born on 22 March. He is a member of famous costume designer with the age 70 years old group.

William Travilla Height, Weight & Measurements

At 70 years old, William Travilla height not available right now. We will update William Travilla's Height, weight, Body Measurements, Eye Color, Hair Color, Shoe & Dress size soon as possible.

Physical Status
Height Not Available
Weight Not Available
Body Measurements Not Available
Eye Color Not Available
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Who Is William Travilla's Wife?

His wife is Dona Drake (m. 1944-1989)

Family
Parents Not Available
Wife Dona Drake (m. 1944-1989)
Sibling Not Available
Children 1

William Travilla Net Worth

His net worth has been growing significantly in 2023-2024. So, how much is William Travilla worth at the age of 70 years old? William Travilla’s income source is mostly from being a successful costume designer. He is from United States. We have estimated William Travilla'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

1920

William Travilla (March 22, 1920 – November 2, 1990), known professionally as Travilla, was an American costume designer for theatre, film, and television.

He is perhaps best known for designing costumes for Marilyn Monroe in eight of her films, as well as two of the most iconic dresses in cinematic history.

Travilla was born and raised in Los Angeles.

During adolescence, became interested in art and enrolled at Chouinard Art Institute in Los Angeles.

When Travilla was sixteen, he began to frequent burlesque clubs in order to design the dancers' costumes.

He sold pencil sketches of costume designs to the showgirls.

After inheriting $5,000 from his grandfather, Travilla used the money to travel.

He spent a year in the South Seas and Tahiti, an area which influenced his art work and designs.

After being designated 4F due to flat feet, Travilla enrolled at Woodbury University where he studied fashion designing.

1941

He graduated in 1941.

Upon graduating from Woodbury, Travilla began working at Western Costume in Hollywood as ghost-sketcher for studio designers.

After a stint at Western, Travilla took a job designing at Jack's of Hollywood.

At Jack's, he was given assignments working for ice skater and actress Sonja Henie as well as for United Artists and Columbia Pictures.

Travilla began selling Tahiti-inspired paintings at the popular tiki bar Don the Beachcomber.

Actress Ann Sheridan began collecting Travilla's work and, shortly thereafter, requested that Warner Bros. hire Travilla as her personal costume designer.

1944

On August 19, 1944, Travilla married actress Dona Drake in Santa Monica, California.

1947

His designs for Sheridan were featured in the 1947 film noir Nora Prentiss.

1948

The film was a hit and Travilla was hired to design costumes for Sheridan in her next film, the 1948 Western Silver River.

1949

After work on several B movies, Travilla worked his way upward through the studio until he earned an Oscar in 1949 for the Errol Flynn swashbuckler Adventures of Don Juan, and in 1951 designed the costumes in the now classic sci-fi tale of morality The Day the Earth Stood Still.

He then worked mainly at Twentieth Century-Fox, where his credits included Elia Kazan's Viva Zapata!.

1951

The couple had a daughter, Nia, in August 1951.

1952

By 1952, Travilla had begun working with Marilyn Monroe and created the costumes for Don't Bother to Knock and Gentlemen Prefer Blondes.

He went on to design the costumes for several more of her films.

1953

Besides winning his first Oscar, Travilla was also nominated for the Academy Award for How to Marry a Millionaire in 1953, There's No Business Like Show Business in 1954 and The Stripper in 1963.

1955

Travilla created one of the most famous costumes in all of film – the pleated ivory cocktail dress Monroe wore in the 1955 film The Seven Year Itch.

Monroe is wearing it while standing on a New York City Subway ventilation grate; the dress rises up around her as a train passes below ground.

Photographs of this scene have become synonymous with Monroe herself.

1956

Travilla and Drake separated in 1956 but remained legally married until Drake's death in 1989.

1970

In the late 1970s, Travilla began working mainly in television.

1980

In 1980, he won the Emmy for "Outstanding Costume Design for a Limited Series or a Special" for The Scarlett O'Hara War, and in 1985 he won the Primetime Emmy Award for "Outstanding Costumes for a Series" for his work on the television show Dallas.

Travilla also designed several evening gowns for Lena Horne in the 1980s.

1983

One of his most widely seen latter-day projects was the TV mini-series The Thorn Birds in 1983.

Travilla was nominated for Emmy Awards seven times for his work on television.

1990

On November 2, 1990, Travilla died of lung cancer at Good Samaritan Medical Center in Los Angeles, California.

2008

An exhibition of the personal collection of William Travilla began a world tour in 2008.

2009

The show began in England, then came to Los Angeles and in 2009 to Palm Springs, California.

The collection includes gowns worn by Marilyn Monroe, Dorothy Dandridge, Dionne Warwick, Whitney Houston, Faye Dunaway, Judy Garland, Sharon Tate, Jane Russell, Betty Grable, Lana Turner, Diahann Carroll, Susan Hayward, Loretta Young, Joanne Woodward, Barbara Stanwyck and many other women in film and television, as well as his Oscar, patterns, sewing room artifacts and numerous original watercolor renderings of his costume designs.

2011

The iconic dress, which was later purchased by actress Debbie Reynolds, sold for $4,600,000 (USD) during a 2011 auction.