Years active 1956–2002 Name Shirley Russell | Role Costume designer | |
Full Name Shirley Ann Kingdon Born March 11, 1935 ( 1935-03-11 ) London, England Died March 4, 2002, London, United Kingdom Spouse Ken Russell (m. 1956–1978) Children Victoria Russell, Molly Russell, Toby Russell, Xavier Russell, Alex 'Alien' Russell, Rupert Russell, James Russell Awards BAFTA Award for Best Costume Design, British Academy Television Craft Award for Best Costume Design Nominations Academy Award for Best Costume Design Similar People Ken Russell, Victoria Russell, Hetty Baynes, Dick Bush, Glenda Jackson | ||
Shirley Ann Russell (11 March 1935 – 4 March 2002) was a British costume designer and first wife of film director Ken Russell, to whom she was married from 1956 to 1978, and with whom she had five children, Xavier, James, Alexander, Victoria and Toby.
Russell was born as Shirley Ann Kingdon in London, England. She and her husband met in art school; they both converted to Roman Catholicism prior to their marriage. The couple collaborated on Women in Love, The Music Lovers, The Devils, The Boy Friend, Savage Messiah, Mahler, Tommy, Lisztomania, and Valentino.
Following her divorce from Ken Russell, she lived for many years with director Jonathan Benson in Chiswick. She ran her own firm of film costumiers for most of her career, particularly specialising in 1930s and 1940s clothing.
Russell's other credits include The Little Prince, Lady Chatterley's Lover, The Return of the Soldier, The Razor's Edge, Hope and Glory, The Bride, Yanks, Gulliver's Travels, I Dreamed of Africa, and Shackleton.
She received Oscar nominations for her work in Agatha (1979) and Reds (1981).
Death
She died from cancer in March 2002, one week before her 67th birthday.