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Theiss with Leonard Nimoy in 1968
William "Bill" Ware Theiss (20 November 1931 – 15 December 1992; age 61) worked as Costume Designer for the entire run of Star Trek: The Original Series and for the first season of Star Trek: The Next Generation. Theiss received credit as Costume Creator and Executive Consultant on the first season, winning an Emmy Award for the episode "The Big Goodbye" in 1988. In the following seasons he was credited as "Original Starfleet Uniforms/ Starfleet Uniforms Created By", in the process earning a second Emmy Award nomination for "Elementary, Dear Data".
Theiss presenting his creations for the TNG uniforms in 1987
His style can be summed up in the "Theiss Theory of Titillation" (self coined and first mentioned in The Making of Star Trek, p. 360), which stated "the degree to which a costume is considered sexy is directly dependent upon how accident-prone it appears to be." Theiss' distinctive clothing style for the "The Veldt", a mid-1960s one-act play from "The World of Ray Bradbury", caught the attention of DC Fontana, and introduced Theiss to Gene Roddenberry. Getting along on a personal level, Roddenberry, who was already interviewing candidates for the position, signed Theiss on as costume designer for his Star Trek pilot, and eventually the upcoming television show. [1]
Other Work
An attendee of the "Art Center College of Design" in Pasadena, California (which also counts Andrew Probert and Mark Stetson among their alumni, and like Probert following after his service in the United States Navy), Theiss' first job was as Cary Grant's personal assistant, whose ex-wife, actress Dyan Cannon, Theiss has cited as having considerable influence on his career. (Star Trek: The Original Series Sketchbook) His first contribution to films was the 1960 movie Spartacus, albeit uncredited. Theiss continued to work in theater, film and television for more than thirty years. His work included among others the 1971 films Harold and Maude (featuring Ellen Geer and photographed by John A. Alonzo), as well as Pretty Maids All in a Row (produced by Roddenberry). During his career Theiss has earned three "Academy Award for Costume Design" nominations for Bound for Glory (1976), Butch and Sundance: The Early Days (1979), and Heart Like a Wheel (1983). A private man, Theiss was never one for interviews.
Theiss died in 1992, a victim of AIDS, at the age of 61. Theiss apparently has retained ownership over most of his creations, as a large number of his Original Series creations were sold off as his estate in the 1993 The William Ware Theiss Estate Auction, the proceeds of which he willed, poignantly appropriate, to "Project Angel Food", a LA-based non-profit agency that served hundreds of meals on a daily basis to those challenged by HIV-AIDS, cancer and other diseases.
Emmy Awards
- 1988 Emmy Award win as "Costume Designer" in the category "Outstanding Costume Design for a Series" for TNG: "The Big Goodbye", sole winner
- 1989 Emmy Award nomination as "Starfleet uniforms creator" in the category "Outstanding Costume Design for a Series" for TNG: "Elementary, Dear Data", shared with Durinda Wood, costume designer
Further reading
Related topic
External links
- William Ware Theiss at Wikipedia
- Template:IMDb-link
- William Ware Theiss profile at StarTrek.com
- 1988 Bill Theiss: The Lost Interview at Star Trek Prop, Costume & Auction Authority
- Template:Brokenlink at Template:Brokenlink