Albert Wolsky, the two-time Oscar-winning costume designer for films such as “All That Jazz,” “Bugsy,” and “Grease,” died on May 23 in Los Angeles. He was 95 years old.
Wolski’s death was confirmed by several of her colleagues, including fellow costume designer Christopher Lawrence, in an Instagram post on Sunday.
“Albert Wolski. A prince among men,” Lawrence wrote. “So much love and gratitude for your friendship and guidance. You were the first person who taught me to be a costume designer and the person I relied on to make many big decisions. So sad.”
For “Grease,” Wolsky created memorable 1950s looks, including skin-tight black pants for Olivia Newton-John and a greaser leather jacket for the role of Sandy Olson. They were actually sourced from vintage clothing from the ’50s, she revealed in her autobiography. “They were so old and I only had one pair, so there was no room for error,” Newton-John revealed in her memoir. “One tear and a disaster.” In 2019, Spanx founder Sarah Blakely paid $162,000 for the pants at a charity auction.
Wolski has been nominated for more than 20 awards over a career spanning more than 50 years, including seven Academy Award nominations. Wolsky gained attention for his costume design for 1983’s Sophie’s Choice, 1986’s The Nutty Gun’s Journey, 1993’s Toys, 2008’s Across the Universe, and 2009’s Revolutionary Road, and won Oscars for 1980’s All That Jazz and 1992’s Bugsy.
Wolski’s film and television design career began in the 1960s, working on Broadway’s “Camelot,” then “The Heart is a Lonely Hunter,” the 1967 television movie “An Hour of Despair,” and both 1968’s “Of Mice and Men” and “A Hatful of Rain.” He continued to earn credits in the 1970s, appearing in films such as “Lenny.” “Little Murders”, “Fingers”, “Turning Point”, etc. He also designed the costumes for Andrew Bergman’s Striptease and Carl Reiner’s Fatal Instinct, as well as a series of iconic romantic comedies including Nora Ephron’s You’ve Got Mail, Garry Marshall’s Runaway Bride, and Wayne Wang’s Made in Manhattan.
His last credit was in David O. Russell’s “Amsterdam.”
Wolski was born in Paris on November 24, 1930. He attended the City College of New York and began studying costume design in the following years.
