Deborah Nadoolman Landis M.F.A. ’75

Deborah Nadoolman Landis M.F.A. ’75, renowned costume designer, knows that all the world is a stage, but she also knows that one should be dressed for the part.

Landis is responsible for costuming Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) and the award-winning music video for Michael Jackson’s Thriller (1983). Her credits and awards include work for the Virginia Opera, the Mark Taper Forum, and the American Conservatory Theater. She was also nominated for an Oscar for her work in Coming to America (1988).

Recognized worldwide for her professional achievements, Landis was one of only two United States jury members at the renowned Cannes Film Festival in 2007. She is the second costume designer in the history of the festival to receive such an opportunity. “I am just amazed and astounded by the honor,” says Landis. “At the Cannes Film Festival, everyone comes from all over the world speaking the global language of film. I was thrilled to have the opportunity to help celebrate the achievements of the world’s best filmmakers.”

In 2005, Landis was honored by the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television as a Distinguished Alumna. A prominent leader in her profession, she serves as the current president of The Costume Designer’s Guild, the union representing working Hollywood costume designers. She is married to film director John Landis, with whom she has collaborated on comedy classics Animal House (1978) and The Blues Brothers (1980).

Landis has written several works on the art of costume and production design, including the first doctoral dissertation in the field of costume design, Scene and Not Heard: The Role of Costume in the Cinematic Storytelling Process. She received her doctorate from the Royal College of Art after attending UCLA. A pioneer in her field, Landis was awarded the first grant for costume design from the National Endowment for the Arts to investigate period costume trends in contemporary fashion. She has taught at the American Film Institute and the USC School of Cinematic Arts; her inventive class, Introduction to Film Costume, is a favorite among producing and directing students.

Her new book, Dressed: A Century of Hollywood Costume Design, hit bookstores in November 2007. A publicity release announced, “[Costumes] speak a language all their own, communicating mood, personality and setting, and propelling the action of the movie as much as a scripted line or synthetic clap of thunder.” Landis’s next work, Deconstructing Glamour: Costume Design in Hollywood, 1970-2006, will be released in 2008.

Landis is currently a professor at the University of the Arts, London, and is curating an exhibition on Hollywood costume design at the Victoria and Albert Museum.