From Vienna to Movies: Costume Designer Ruth Morley at 100, a birthday commemoration

When

November 19, 2025    
12:00 pm EST - 1:00 pm EST

Event Type

In this virtual event, the life and work of Costume Designer Ruth Morley will be discussed by her daughter Melissa Hacker and Susan Gammie, her assistant, protégé and close friend.

Presented by our friends at the Fritz Ascher Society.

Ruth Morley (1925-1991) fled her childhood home in Vienna on a Kindertransport, arrived in New York City as a teenager, and became a noted costume designer whose career spanned decades and disciplines, including dance, opera, theater, film and television. Her film credits include American classics TootsieAnnie HallTaxi DriverThe ChosenKramer vs Kramer and The Hustler; her theater, opera and dance credits include Death of Salesman (with Dustin Hoffman), The Threepenny OperaDeathtrapMiracle Worker (stage and film, for the film, she received an Oscar nomination), Billy Budd, the Golem, and many more. Television includes Playing for Time with Vanessa Redgrave and Mussolini with George C Scott and Robert Downey Jr. Over her expansive career of nearly 40 years, she was an inspiration to the many young designers she taught (at New York University and Brandeis) and mentored. While her career was cut short when she died of breast cancer in 1991 at age 65, her contribution to costume design has not ended. In her centennial year, the time is right for commemorating and honoring her legacy.

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