Ray Aghayan's artistic flair has been visible for half a century on television, in film and on stage. But he was discovered far from Hollywood -- in the court of Teheran. He began working for his mother, an important couturiere, at age eleven, and at fourteen he designed mourning clothes for Queen Fawsia.
But he had seen too many American movies, and Hollywood beckoned. He worked briefly as an actor and director, but soon was designing costumes for live television at NBC (the three-year run of "Matinee Theatre" required a mere 13,000 outfits). In 1963 he was hired to design for "The Judy Garland Show." He in turn hired Bob Mackie as his assistant, and a lifelong partnership was born. Sometimes together, sometimes apart, they have designed for specials and films starring the likes of Diana Ross and Barbra Streisand, numerous Academy Awards shows and the opening of the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas (940 costumes), among many other credits. Aghayan has been nominated for nine Emmy® Awards, winning twice.
Aghayan has also worked as a producer of series and telefilms. It took him ten years to bring "Consenting Adults" to television; the novel, about a gay son coming out to his family, became a landmark telefilm in 1985. "I hope it helped a lot of people," he says. Aghayan was also instrumental in persuading the Television Academy in the 1960s to officially recognize the contribution of costume designers.
His costume design credits include FATHER GOOSE (1964, uncredited), OUR MAN FLINT (1965), THE GLASS BOTTOM BOAT (1966), IN LIKE FLINT, CAPRICE and DOCTOR DOLITTLE (all 1967), HANNIE CAULDER (1971) and costumes for the 48th, 67th and 69th Annual Academy Awards Shows (1976, 1995, 1996).
Nominated for Costume Design 1969: GAILY, GAILY
Nominated for Costume Design 1972: LADY SINGS THE BLUES (w. Bob Mackie & Norma Koch)
Nominated for Costume Design 1975: FUNNY LADY (w. Bob Mackie)
3 nominations