Bob Mackie

Last updated

Bob Mackie
Bob Mackie, 1975.jpg
Mackie in 1975
Born
Robert Gordon Mackie

(1939-03-24) March 24, 1939 (age 85)
Alma mater
Occupation(s)Fashion designer, costumier
Spouse
Lulu Porter
(m. 1960;div. 1963)
Partner Ray Aghayan (since 1963; died 2011)
Children1
Website www.bobmackie.com

Robert Gordon Mackie (born March 24, 1939) [1] [2] is an American fashion designer and costumier, best known for his dressing of entertainment icons such as Cher, Lucille Ball, Carol Burnett, Diahann Carroll, Carol Channing, Ann-Margret, Bette Midler, Doris Day, Marlene Dietrich, Barbara Eden, Lola Falana, Judy Garland, Mitzi Gaynor, Elton John, Liza Minnelli, Marilyn Monroe, Marie Osmond, Dolly Parton, Miley Cyrus, Diana Ross, Tina Turner, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Barbra Streisand, and Oprah Winfrey among others. He was the costume designer for all the performers on The Carol Burnett Show during its entire eleven-year run. For his work, Mackie has received nine Primetime Emmy Awards, a Tony Award, and three nominations for the Academy Award for Best Costume Design. In April 2023, Mackie was awarded with the inaugural Giving Us Life-time Achievement Award by RuPaul at the RuPaul's Drag Race Season 15 finale. [3]

Contents

Early life

Mackie was born March 24, 1939, in Monterey Park, California, to Charles Robert Mackie and Mildred Agnes ( née Smith) Mackie. [4] [5] His father worked at Bank of America. [6] He has an older sister. [7] [8]

He was raised in early childhood by his maternal grandparents in Alhambra, California because his parents divorced. By high school he moved to Rosemead, California and lived with his father. [4] He attended Rosemead High School.

Mackie continued his education at Pasadena City College and one-year study at Chouinard Art Institute but left without earning a degree from either school. [4] [9] At Chouinard, Mackie studied under Eva Roberts, the head of the fashion design department. [10] He left Chouinard early because he got his first job sketching for Frank Thompson at Paramount Studios. [4] Between 1960 and 1963, Mackie worked as a novice designer and assistant under designer Ray Aghayan at Paramount Studios. [11]

Professional career

The curtain dress, worn by Carol Burnett in "Went with the Wind!" on The Carol Burnett Show, a parody of Gone With The Wind. Curtain Dress.JPG
The curtain dress, worn by Carol Burnett in "Went with the Wind!" on The Carol Burnett Show , a parody of Gone With The Wind .

In 1961, while he was working at Paramount Studios, costumer Edith Head found Mackie. [12]

Bob Mackie designs for Cher and Farrah Fawcett on
The Sonny & Cher Show (1976) Farrah Fawcett Cher 1976.JPG
Bob Mackie designs for Cher and Farrah Fawcett on
The Sonny & Cher Show (1976)

In Mackie's early career he worked as a sketch artist for French haute couturier Jean Louis, who is noted for crafting stage gowns worn by actress Marlene Dietrich during her career as a cabaret singer. As one of his first assignments, he drew the original sketch of Marilyn Monroe’s dress worn in 1962 at President John F. Kennedy's birthday celebration at Madison Square Garden in New York. [13]

In 1966, Mackie was hired by Mitzi Gaynor to design her new stage show at the Riviera in Las Vegas. Mitzi was the first star client for whom Mackie designed an entire show. He would continue to design for Mitzi's television specials and live stage shows for the next 50 years. He won two Emmy Awards for Outstanding Achievement in Costume Design for Music-Variety for Mitzi's TV specials "Mitzi...Roarin' in the Twenties" (1976) and "Mitzi...Zings Into Spring" (1977).

In 1969, Mackie was hired to design costumes for Diana Ross, The Supremes, and The Temptations in the television special GIT: On Broadway.[ citation needed ] In 1972, he and Aghayan were nominated for Best Costume Design for Lady Sings The Blues , starring Diana Ross. [11] Mackie and Diana Ross continued their collaborative efforts well into the 21st century, with Mackie designing stage costumes for Ross' 2010 More Today Than Yesterday: The Greatest Hits Tour.[ citation needed ]

Mackie designed costumes for the Las Vegas Strip–based burlesque shows Hallelujah Hollywood, which was inspired by the Ziegfeld Follies and ran at the MGM Grand (now Bally's Las Vegas) from 1974 to 1980, and Jubilee! , which ran from 1981 to 2016. [14] [15] Both productions involve intricate, elaborate costumes and grandiose sets.

Images of many of Mackie's design drawings for these productions are available in the "Showgirls" collection from UNLV Libraries Digital Collections. He created the costumes for Cher’s 2008–11 Las Vegas Cher at the Colosseum residency at Caesars Palace, as well as for her 2017 “Classic Cher” shows in Las Vegas and Washington D.C. [16]

Two of Mackie's best-remembered creations had a humorous aspect. While working on The Carol Burnett Show , he designed a "curtain dress" (complete with a curtain rod across the shoulders) that Carol Burnett wore in Went with the Wind! , a parody of Gone with the Wind . He designed the exotic ensemble worn by Cher at the March 1986 Academy Awards: black stretch pants, a bejeweled loincloth, knee-high boots, a black chainlink top, and a huge feathered Mohawk headdress that was one and a half times taller than her head. Introduced by Jane Fonda with the words, "Wait'll you see what's gonna come out here". [17] "As you can see," said Cher, "I did receive my Academy booklet on how to dress like a serious actress." [18]

Mackie designed costumes for Whitney Houston, especially splashy evening gowns which she wore for many years during concert tours and award shows. He was often referred to as "the sultan of sequins" or "the rajah of rhinestones", known for his sparkling and imaginative costume designs. He has won nine Emmy Awards for his designs, and he has been nominated three times for an Academy Award. [19] Mackie has said, "A woman who wears my clothes is not afraid to be noticed." [20] [21]

In 1981, Mackie guest-starred as himself on two episodes of the television series The Love Boat . [22] In 2002, Mackie was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame. [23] In more recent years, Mackie has been mainly known as the costume designer for Cher's elaborate outfit during her latest tours, including her latest Here We Go Again Tour. In 2019, Mackie won the Tony Award for Best Costume Design in a Musical for his work on The Cher Show .

More recently, in 2020, Mackie's dresses were featured and worn by television hostess Vanna White over the week of April 27 in the long-running syndicated game show Wheel of Fortune as part of honoring the San Francisco Bay Area. [24]

Personal life

On March 14, 1960, Mackie married LuLu Porter (née Marianne Wolford), a singer, actress, and later an acting teacher. [25] [26] The couple had had a son, Robert Gordon Mackie Jr. (known as "Robin"), [12] the previous year. The couple divorced in 1963. Robin, a makeup artist, died in 1993 at the age of 33 of an AIDS-related illness, predeceasing his parents. [26] [27] [28] [6] [29]

Beginning in 1963, Mackie's significant other was costume designer Ray Aghayan, whom Mackie worked with as an assistant. The two worked together through the 1970s, as well as having separate clients. They remained together until Aghayan's death in 2011. [11]

Awards and nominations

Academy Awards

The Academy Awards are awarded annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Mackie has received 3 nominations.

YearNominated workAwardResult
1973 Lady Sings the Blues Best Costume Design Nominated
1976 Funny Lady Nominated
1982 Pennies from Heaven Nominated

American Choreography Awards

The American Choreography Awards honored outstanding choreographers in the fields of feature film, television, music videos, and commercials. Mackie has received 1 honorary award.

YearNominated workAwardResult
2001HimselfGovernor's AwardHonored

Costume Designers Guild Awards

The Costume Designers Guild Awards are awarded annually by the Costume Designers Guild for costume designers in motion pictures, television, and commercials. Mackie has received 1 honorary award.

YearNominated workAwardResult
1999HimselfDisaronno Career Achievement in Television AwardHonored

Emmy Awards

The Emmy Awards are presented at one of the numerous annual American events or competitions that each recognize achievements in a particular sector of the television industry. Mackie has received 1 honorary award and 9 competitive awards from 32 nominations. [36]

YearNominated workAwardResult
1966Wonderful World of Burlesque IIIndividual Achievements in Art Direction and Allied Crafts - Costume DesignNominated
1967Alice Through The Looking GlassWon
1969The Carol Burnett ShowOutstanding Individual Achievement in the Visual ArtsNominated
1970Diana Ross and The Supremes and The TemptationsOutstanding Achievement in Costume DesignWon
1972The Sonny & Cher Comedy HourNominated
1974Nominated
1975CherNominated
1976Outstanding Achievement in Costume Design for Music - VarietyNominated
Mitzi...Roarin' in the 20'sWon
1977An Evening with Diana Ross The Big EventNominated
The Sonny & Cher ShowNominated
1978Mitzi...Zings Into SpringWon
1979Cher...And Other FantasiesOutstanding Costume Design for a Limited Series or SpecialNominated
1980Ann-Margret - Hollywood Movie GirlsNominated
1983Mama's FamilyOutstanding Costume Design for a SeriesNominated
1984Won
1986Neil Diamond...Hello AgainOutstanding Costume Design for a Variety or Music ProgramNominated
1987Mama's FamilyOutstanding Achievement for Costuming in a SeriesNominated
FresnoOutstanding Achievement for Costuming in a MiniseriesNominated
1988The 60th Annual Academy AwardsOutstanding Individual Achievement - Special EventsNominated
1990Julie and Carol: Together AgainOutstanding Costume Design for a Variety or Music ProgramNominated
1991Cher At The MirageNominated
Carol & CompanyWon
1992The Carol Burnett ShowOutstanding Individual Achievement in Costume Design for a Variety or Music ProgramNominated
1993The Carol Burnett Show: A ReunionNominated
1994GypsyNominated
1995Men, Movies And CarolWon
1997Mrs. Santa ClausOutstanding Costume Design for a Miniseries or SpecialNominated
1998Blue Suede Shoes - Ballet Rocks!Outstanding Costume Design for a Variety or Music ProgramNominated
2000Cher: Live In Concert - From The MGM Grand In Las VegasOutstanding Costumes for a Variety or Music ProgramWon
2002Himself Television Hall of Fame Honored
2003Cher - The Farewell TourOutstanding Costumes for a Variety or Music ProgramWon
2006Once Upon A MattressOutstanding Costumes for a Miniseries, Movie or a SpecialNominated

RuPaul's Drag Race Awards

RuPaul's Drag Race is a reality competition program hosted by American drag queen RuPaul. The show periodically highlights and celebrates pop culture icons that have influenced LGBTQIA+ culture over the years with their "Giving Us Life-time Achievement Award". Mackie has received one honorary award. [3]

YearNominated workAwardResult
2023 HimselfGiving Us Life-time Achievement AwardHonored

Tony Awards

The Tony Awards are presented annually by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League. Mackie has received 1 award from 1 nomination. [37]

YearNominated workAwardResult
2019 The Cher Show Best Costume Design in a Musical Won

TV Land Awards

The TV Land Award generally commemorates shows now off the air, rather than in current production. Mackie has received 1 honorary award.

YearNominated workAwardResult
2005The Carol Burnett ShowLegend AwardHonored

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References

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  2. Wilson, Eric (November 17, 2005). "Bob Mackie Is Selling a Share of His Excess". The New York Times . Mackie, 65
  3. 1 2 Joey Nolfi (April 14, 2023). "RuPaul presents Bob Mackie with first-ever Giving Us Life-time Achievement Award on Drag Race finale". Entertainment Weekly . Retrieved April 16, 2023.
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