Born in London, England. Entered British films in 1934; designed costumes for THE PRIVATE LIFE OF DON JUAN and Merle Oberon's gowns in THE SCARLET PIMPERNEL (both 1934). He designed the costumes for George Cukor's ROMEO AND JULIET (1936), Alexader Korda's THE THIEF OF BAGDAD (1940), Gabriel Pascal's CAESAR AND CLEOPATRA (1945) and CARNIVAL (1946) and THE QUEEN OF SPADES (1949). He was artistic consultant for the settings in ROMEO AND JULIET and was production designer for SUDDENLY, LAST SUMMER (1959). However, he worked mainly in the theatre, and received a Tony® Award for his scenic designs for House of Flowers (1955). Messel also received three other Tony nominations: in 1959, as both Best Scenic Designer and Best Costume Designer for Rashomon; and in 1974, as Best Costume Designer for Gigi. He did a lot of design and interior decorating for hotels and resorts; he has a suite named after him at the Dorchester Hotel in London.  Nominated for Art Direction/Set Decoration (Black & White) 1959: SUDDENLY, LAST SUMMER - Art Direction (w. William Kellner) 1 nomination