Date of Birth
3 March 1903,
Naugatuck, Connecticut, USA
13 September 1959,
Hollywood,
California,
USA (
heart attack)
Adrian Adolph Greenberg
Mini Biography
Adrian Adolph Greenburg, born in Naugatuck, Connecticut, March 3, 1903, to Gilbert and Helena (Pollack) Greenburg. He began his professional career while still attending the New York School for Fine and Applied Arts by contributing to the costumes for "George White's Scandals" in 1921. He is credited for that production by his created Name of Gilbert Adrian, a combination of his father's first name and his own. He transferred to NYSFAA's Paris campus in 1922 and while there was hired by Irving Berlin. In the fall of 1922 he returned to New York and began work on Berlin's 1922-1923 edition of "The Music Box Revue". Adrian continued to work on the Berlin reviews as well as other theatrical and film projects.
His big film break was designing costumes for Mae Murray in her first M.G.M. film, The Merry Widow (1925). He was then hired by Natacha Rambova to design for the independent films of her husband, Rudolph Valentino. In mid-1925, after designing costumes for the prologue of "The Gold Rush" at Grauman's Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood, Adrian was hired by Cecil B. DeMille to become head of the wardrobe department at his new studio. When DeMille moved to M.G.M. in 1928, Adrian moved there also. When his DeMille contract expired, Adrian signed with M.G.M. and remained with that studio until 1942.
He opened his own very successful couture business and continued to do some films until such time as his business expanded, with a salon in New York as well as Beverly Hills. His fashions were sold in department stores around the U.S. and he was the recipient of the 1944 Coty Award for Fashion. He also received a Lord & Taylor award for his work on Marie Antoinette (1938) in 1938 and a special award from Parsons, the successor to NYSFAA. His last film was Lovely to Look at (1952). He retired from the Fashion industry in 1952 after a heart attack. He relocated to Brazil with his wife (since 1938) actress Janet Gaynor and their son, Robin. He returned to the U.S. to do "Grand Hotel", a musical with Viveca Lindfors and Paul Muni and his last career credit was the costume design for the Broadway musical "Camelot". He was working on this production when he died of a heart attack on September 13, 1959. Adrian never received an Oscar.
Spouse
Trivia
Never won an Academy Award, not even for his costumes for "The Wizard of Oz", yet he is considered by most as Hollywood's greatest costume designer.
First gained attention for designing Irving Berlin's "Music Box Review" on Broadway.
Was first hired in Hollywood by Natacha Rambova who had him to assist her on her husband, Rudolph Valentino's last films.
Died while preparing the costumes for the original Broadway production of Alan Jay Lerner's "Camelot".
His costumes for the Munchkins in The Wizard of Oz (1939) were made entirely of felt.
Adrian never tried to recreate actual historic period clothes, but used the silhouettes as a spring board to create his original designs.
Attended Parson's School of design in New York and studied in Paris as well in the early 1920's.
Posthumously won Broadway's 1961 Tony Award as Best Costume Designer (Musical) for "Camelot," along with his co-designer Tony Duquette.
Credited with creating the padded shoulder fashion trend that became a "trademark" of actress Joan Crawford.
He was never even nominated for an Academy Award.
Briefly portrayed in a movie at Disney's California Adventure called "Golden Dreams" about the history of California. He is introduced as the person who is designing the costumes for The Wizard of Oz.
"When the glamour goes for Garbo, it goes for me as well." - the reason Adrian gave for leaving MGM.
