Born John Kelley in Kiama, NSW, Australia. One of Hollywood's most prolific and most celebrated gown fashioners. Trained in Australia as an artist, he came to New York hoping to become an actor but wound up designing titles for Fox silent films. After becoming established as a designer of scenery and costumes for Schubert revues and several editions of George White's Scandals on Broadway, he headed in the early 1930s to Hollywood, where he rapidly became a top costume designer for Warner Bors., a favorite of Bette Davis and other stars. From the late 40s he also worked for Universal, RKO, MGM, and other studios. In all, he was involved in hundreds of films from the classic Hollywood era. Some of his notable film credits include gowns for I AM A FUGITIVE FROM A CHAIN GANG (1932), 42ND STREET and GOLD DIGGERS OF 1933 (both 1933), MADAME DUBARRY, FLIRTATION WALK and BABBITT (all 1934), GOLD DIGGERS OF 1935, GO INTO YOUR DANCE and DANGEROUS (all 1935), THE PETRIFIED FOREST (uncredited), CHINA CLIPPER, STAGE STRUCK and GOLD DIGGERS OF 1937 (all 1936), KID GALAHAD (1937), JEZEBEL and ANGELS WITH DIRTY FACES (both 1938), DARK VICTORY, JUAREZ, THE PRIVATE LIVES OF ELIZABETH AND ESSEX and ON YOUR TOES (all 1939), THE SEA HAWK, ALL THIS, AND HEAVEN TOO and THE LETTER (all 1940), THE GREAT LIE, THE LITTLE FOXES and THE MALTESE FALCON (all 1941), ALWAYS IN MY HEART, KINGS ROW, NOW, VOYAGER and CASABLANCA (all 1942), WATCH ON THE RHINE and PRINCESS O'ROURKE (both 1943), MR. SKEFFINGTON and ARSENIC AND OLD LACE (both 1944), THE CORN IS GREEN and THE DOLLY SISTERS (both 1945), A STOLE LIFE (1946), MOTHER WORE TIGHTS (1947), ONE TOUCH OF VENUS (1948), UNDERTOW (1949), HARVEY (1950), AN AMERICAN IN PARIS (1951), PAT AND MIKE and THE STAR (both 1952), OKLAHOMA! (1955), LES GIRLS (1957), AUNTIE MAME (1958), SOME LIKE IT HOT (1959, Marilyn Monroe's gowns), A MAJORITY OF ONE, FOUR HORSEMEN OF THE APOLCALYPSE, SWEET BIRD OF YOUTH, FIVE FINGER EXERCISE, GYPSY and TWO FOR THE SEESAW (all 1962), and IRMA LA DOUCE, SUNDAY IN NEW YORK and IN THE COOL OF THE DAY (all 1963).  Costume Design (Color) 1951: AN AMERICAN IN PARIS (w. Walter Plunkett & Irene Sharaff)  Costume Design 1957: LES GIRLS  Costume Design (Black & White) 1959: SOME LIKE IT HOT  Nominated for Costume Design (Color) 1962: GYPSY 4 nominations, 3 Awards