Yvonne Blake

Yvonne Ann Blake (17 April 1940 – 17 July 2018) was a British and Spanish costume designer. She is perhaps best known for creating the costumes for Richard Donner's acclaimed superhero film Superman (1978) and its sequel, Richard Lester's Superman II (1980). She has been nominated for the Academy Award for Best Costume Design two times, winning along with Antonio Castillo for their work on Nicholas and Alexandra (1971).

Excelentísima Señora Doña Yvonne Blake MML
Blake at the 31st Goya Awards in 2017
Born	Yvonne Ann Blake 17 April 1940 Manchester, England
Died	17 July 2018 (aged 78) Madrid, Spain
Occupation	Costume designer
Years active	1966–2011
Spouse	Gil Carretero ​ (m. 1970)​
Children	1

Early life and education

Blake was born in Manchester, England, on 17 April 1940.^[1] At 16, she won one-year scholarship to study art, design, and sculpture at the Manchester's Regional College of Art and then acquired an internship at London's costume house Bermans.^[2]

Career

Blake began her career as an assistant costume designer at Hammer Film Productions, working on the thriller drama film Never Take Sweets from a Stranger (1960) and the horror film The Shadow of the Cat (1961). She received her first major screen credits for designing costumes in Daniel Mann's 1966 drama film Judith, starring Sophia Loren.^[3]

Blake went to Spain for the first time in 1968. She was preparing wardrobes for Richard Quine's 1969 Western comedy film A Talent for Loving, and while on the sets, she was introduced to then-assistant director, Spaniard Gil Carretero, whom she later married.^[4]

In 1970, Hollywood film producer Sam Spiegel approached her to collaborate with director Franklin J. Schaffner on creating the costumes for his epic period drama Nicholas and Alexandra (1971), about the last of Romanov's dynasty. Blake, then-29-year-old, signed on the project, which she recalled as the biggest challenge of her career. During extensive preparations for that large-scale production, she was in charge of several departments and caught in the middle of a creative team conflict. Blake felt extremely exhausted at the end of the filming and even considered quitting the profession altogether.^[4] Despite various obstacles, her efforts, along with those of fellow collaborator Antonio Castillo, ultimately paid off, winning them the Academy Award for Best Costume Design. Accepting an Oscar, she said "If it wasn’t for the Russian Revolution, I wouldn’t be here."^[1]

Spanish Film Academy presidency

In October 2016, Blake was elected president of the Academy of Cinematographic Arts and Sciences of Spain.^[5] From that position, she fought to broaden the academy's horizons and encourage cooperation with international associations. Blake arranged a meeting between the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and its Spanish counterpart on the one-year anniversary of her election. She was also among the driving forces behind the Federation of Ibero-American Film Academies.^[2]

Blake suffered a stroke in January 2018 and had been on medical leave from the presidency, with Mariano Barroso served as interim president in her absence. He was later elected in his own right in June of that year.^[6]

Illness and death

Blake died of complications from a stroke in Madrid on 17 July 2018, at age 78.^[7][8]

Awards and nominations

Major associations

Academy Awards

Year	Category	Nominated work	Result	Ref.
1971	Best Costume Design	Nicholas and Alexandra	Won	[9]
1975		The Four Musketeers	Nominated	[10]

BAFTA Awards

Year	Category	Nominated work	Result	Ref.
British Academy Film Awards
1971	Best Costume Design	Nicholas and Alexandra	Nominated	[11]
1973		Jesus Christ Superstar	Nominated	[12]
1974		The Three Musketeers	Nominated	[13]
1975		The Four Musketeers	Nominated	[14]

Emmy Awards

Year	Category	Nominated work	Result	Ref.
Primetime Emmy Awards
1987	Outstanding Costumes for a Miniseries, Movie, or Special	Casanova	Nominated	[15]
2002		James Dean	Nominated

Miscellaneous awards

List of Yvonne Blake other awards and nominations

Award	Year	Category	Title	Result	Ref.
Goya Awards	1988	Best Costume Design	Rowing with the Wind	Won	[16]
	1991		Don Juan in Hell	Nominated	[17]
	1992		The Anonymous Queen	Nominated	[18]
	1994		Cradle Song	Won	[19]
	2003		Carmen	Won	[20]
	2004		The Bridge of San Luis Rey	Won	[21]
	2006		Goya's Ghosts	Nominated	[22]
Satellite Awards	2007	Best Costume Design		Nominated	[23]
Saturn Awards	1978	Best Costume Design	Superman	Nominated	[24]

Other honours

• Medal of Merit in Labour in Gold (Kingdom of Spain, 14 November 2011).^[25]
• National Cinematography Prize (Kingdom of Spain, 17 September 2012).^[26]

See also

• List of British Academy Award nominees and winners
• List of Spanish Academy Award winners and nominees

Notes