Orry-Kelly
Australian-American costume designer who won three Academy Awards.
Orry-Kelly was the stage name of Orry George Kelly (31 December 1897 – 27 February 1964), an Australian-American costume designer who worked in Hollywood. He won three Academy Awards for Best Costume Design, making him the Australian-born Oscar winner with the most wins in that category until Catherine Martin surpassed him in 2014.
Born Jack Kelly in Kiama, New South Wales, his father William was a tailor from the Isle of Man. The name Orry came from an ancient Manx king. At 17, his family sent him to Sydney to study banking, but there he discovered a passion for theatre.
He moved to New York City to try acting, sharing a Greenwich Village apartment with Charles Phelps and Cary Grant. In his writing, he described an on-again, off-again relationship with Grant that lasted into the 1930s. A job painting murals in a nightclub led to work illustrating title cards for Fox East Coast studios. He also designed costumes and sets for Broadway revues. During World War II, he served in the U.S. Army Air Corps but was discharged due to alcohol problems.
In 1932, he moved to Hollywood and became Warner Bros.' chief costume designer, staying until 1944. The studio encouraged him to hyphenate his name in credits to sound more exotic. Later, his work appeared at Universal, RKO, 20th Century Fox, and MGM. He won Oscars for *An American in Paris*, *Les Girls*, and *Some Like It Hot*, and was nominated for *Gypsy*. Besides film work, he painted portraits and took private commissions for gowns and ready-to-wear dresses.
He worked on many classic films, including *42nd Street*, *The Maltese Falcon*, *Casablanca*, *Arsenic and Old Lace*, *Harvey*, *Oklahoma!*, *Auntie Mame*, and *Some Like It Hot*. He designed for stars such as Bette Davis, Kay Francis, Marilyn Monroe, Katharine Hepburn, and Ava Gardner. He was known for "designing for distraction" to flatter difficult body shapes. For Kay Francis, he dressed her characters opposite to type—frills for villains, tailored suits for heroines. He applied the same approach for Bette Davis. For *Some Like It Hot*, he created clothes for Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon's cross-dressing characters; during production, the two could eat lunch and use the ladies' room without being recognized as men. He wrote that draping Dolores del Río in white jersey made her "a Greek goddess." The elegant costumes he made for Ingrid Bergman in *Casablan
- born
- 31 December 1897, Kiama, New South Wales, Australia
- died
- 27 February 1964, Hollywood, California, USA
- field
- Costume design
- nationality
- Australian-American
- known_for
- Three Academy Awards for Best Costume Design; designs for classic films including Casablanca, Some Like It Hot, and An American in Paris
Lore & Background
Orry-Kelly was born in Kiama, New South Wales, and was known as Jack Kelly. His father William Kelly was a gentleman tailor on the Isle of Man. At age 17, Orry-Kelly was sent to Sydney to study banking, where he developed his interest in theatre. He later moved to New York City to pursue acting, sharing an apartment with Cary Grant, with whom he had an on-again, off-again relationship until the 1930s. A job painting murals in a nightclub led to his employment by Fox East Coast studios illustrating titles, and he designed costumes and sets for Broadway revues. He served with the United States Army Air Corps during World War II until being discharged for alcohol problems.
After moving to Hollywood in 1932, Orry-Kelly was hired by Warner Bros. as their chief costume designer, remaining there until 1944. He hyphenated his name for film credits to appear more exotic. He later worked at Universal, RKO, 20th Century Fox, and MGM. He won three Academy Awards for Best Costume Design (for An American in Paris, Les Girls, and Some Like It Hot) and was nominated for a fourth (for Gypsy). He also wrote a column, 'Hollywood Fashion Parade,' for the International News Service during World War II. His memoirs, Women I've Undressed, were discovered after his death and published in 2015.
Orry-Kelly was known for his ability to 'design for distraction' to compensate for difficult figure shapes. He designed for actresses including Bette Davis, Kay Francis, Marilyn Monroe, and Katharine Hepburn. For Some Like It Hot, he created clothes for the cross-dressing characters played by Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon, and his skill was such that Curtis and Lemmon could go into the ladies' room without being spotted as men. He died of liver cancer in 1964; his pallbearers included Cary Grant, Tony Curtis, Billy Wilder, and George Cukor.
Reader's Guide
Orry-Kelly's significance lies in his prolific and award-winning career as a costume designer for Hollywood's Golden Age. He was the most prolific Australian-born Oscar winner until 2014, with three Academy Awards for An American in Paris, Les Girls, and Some Like It Hot. His work on classic films such as Casablanca, The Maltese Falcon, and 42nd Street helped define the visual style of an era. His ability to 'design for distraction' allowed him to flatter actresses with challenging figures, and his designs for cross-dressing characters in Some Like It Hot demonstrated technical and creative skill. His legacy includes a posthumous memoir and a 2015 documentary, as well as an exhibition of his work at the Australian Centre for the Moving Image. He remains a key figure in the history of costume design.
Did You Know?
- Orry-Kelly shared an apartment in Greenwich Village with Cary Grant and had an on-again, off-again relationship with him until the 1930s.
- He won three Academy Awards for Best Costume Design, for An American in Paris, Les Girls, and Some Like It Hot.
- His pallbearers included Cary Grant, Tony Curtis, Billy Wilder, and George Cukor.
- His memoirs, titled Women I've Undressed, were discovered after his death and published in 2015.
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