Biografia
Two-time Academy Award nominee Ruth Myers was raised in Manchester, England. She trained at St. Martin's School of Art in London before working at the Royal Court Theatre on a student grant, followed by a year in repertory theatre. Ms. Myers then returned to the Royal Court, contributing to over 15 productions, including John Osborne's "Hotel in Amsterdam" and "Time Present," as well as David Hare's "Stag."
Her first professional job involved sewing sequins overnight on costumes for renowned designer Anthony Powell. During this time, Ms. Myers served as assistant to the legendary Sophie Devine, who, as part of 'Motley,' had designed costumes for many early English classic films, including David Lean's "Great Expectations." Encouraged by Devine, Ms. Myers began designing for theatre and then for low-budget English films starting in 1967 with titles such as "Smashing Time" (noted for its iconic Mod style), "A Touch of Class," Peter Medak's "The Ruling Class," and "The Twelve Chairs."
After being invited to the United States by Gene Wilder, she collaborated with him on "The World's Greatest Lover," "The Woman in Red," and "Haunted Honeymoon." She also designed for Joseph Losey's "Galileo" and "The Romantic Englishwoman," where she met her late husband, the acclaimed production designer Richard MacDonald. Together, they worked on films including Sydney Pollack's "The Firm"; Fred Schepisi's "Plenty" and "The Russia House"; Norman Jewison's "And Justice For All"; Ken Russell's "Altered States"; Jack Clayton's "Something Wicked This Way Comes"; and Barry Sonnenfeld's "The Addams Family," for which Ms. Myers earned an Academy Award nomination.
Since 1993, she has designed costumes for over 30 films, including Curtis Hanson's "L.A. Confidential"; Douglas McGrath's "Emma" (which garnered her second Academy Award nomination), "Nicholas Nickleby," and "Infamous"; Taylor Hackford's "Proof of Life"; Mimi Leder's "Deep Impact"; and John Curran's "The Painted Veil." Her most recent projects include the upcoming "City of Ember," directed by Gil Kenan, and "The Golden Compass," directed by Chris Weitz.
In 2003, Ms. Myers designed the costumes for the pilot episode of HBO's "Carnivàle," establishing the series' distinctive look and earning an Emmy Award.