William Ware Theiss
Encyclopedia
William Ware Theiss also called Bill Theiss, was a costume designer
for television
and film
.
His film credits as costume designer include Spartacus
, Harold and Maude
, Bound for Glory, Pete's Dragon
(uncredited), Who'll Stop the Rain
, Butch and Sundance: The Early Days
, The Man with One Red Shoe
, and Heart Like a Wheel
.
His television credits include Star Trek
and Star Trek: The Next Generation
, for which he won an Emmy.
Theiss was born in Medford, Massachusetts
, the son of Harold Hetherington Theiss and Helen Theiss, and was named for his paternal grandfather, William Hodgson, and his paternal grandmother's family, Ellen (Ware) Hodgson. He attended Lowell High School
in San Francisco and graduated from Stanford University
with a Bachelor of Arts as an art major, minoring in sciences, biology and chemistry before a four-year stint in the United States Navy
. He eventually moved to Los Angeles and attended Art Center for eight semesters. His first Hollywood job was as a personal secretary to Cary Grant, whose ex-wife, actress Dyan Cannon
, Theiss cited as having considerable influence on his career.
was his first as a designer, although he is credited as "wardrobe consultant". He returned to television as a wardrobe man for shows including Hollywood Palace and My Favorite Martian
. His break as costume designer for “The World of Ray Bradbury" on stage brought him to the attention of Gene Roddenberry
, who then hired Theiss as costume designer for Star Trek
. In the 1970s and early 80s he designed costumes for at least a dozen TV movies, including Genesis II
and The B.R.A.T. Patrol, as well as for over a dozen motion pictures, including three Academy Award for Costume Design
nominations for 1976's Bound for Glory
, 1979's Butch and Sundance: The Early Days
, and 1983's Heart Like a Wheel
. His final credit was as costume designer for Star Trek: The Next Generation
, for which he won an Emmy Award
for Outstanding Costume Design for a Series for the episode The Big Goodbye.
episode "What are Little Girls Made Of?" in which the revealing top portion consists only of two crossing straps of material that connect in one piece to trousers, and—Theiss's personal favorite—the gown featured in the episode "Who Mourns for Adonais?": a backless dress in which the front of the dress was held up by the weight of the train which fell over the shoulder to the floor.
Costume Designer
A costume designer or costume mistress/master is a person whose responsibility is to design costumes for a film or stage production. He or she is considered an important part of the "production team", working alongside the director, scenic and lighting designers as well as the sound designer. The...
for television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
and film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
.
His film credits as costume designer include Spartacus
Spartacus (film)
Spartacus is a 1960 American epic historical drama film directed by Stanley Kubrick and based on the novel of the same name by Howard Fast...
, Harold and Maude
Harold and Maude
Harold and Maude is a 1971 American dark comedy film directed by Hal Ashby and released by Paramount Pictures. It incorporates elements of dark humor and existentialist drama, with a plot that revolves around the exploits of a young man intrigued with death, Harold...
, Bound for Glory, Pete's Dragon
Pete's Dragon
Pete's Dragon is a 1977 live-action/animated musical film from Walt Disney Productions and the first Disney film to be recorded in the Dolby Stereo sound system...
(uncredited), Who'll Stop the Rain
Who'll Stop the Rain
Who'll Stop The Rain is a 1978 psychological drama film released by United Artists. It was directed by Karel Reisz and produced by Herb Jaffe and Gabriel Katzka with Sheldon Schrager and Roger Spottiswoode as executive producers. The screenplay was by Judith Rascoe and Robert Stone from Stone's...
, Butch and Sundance: The Early Days
Butch and Sundance: The Early Days
Butch and Sundance: The Early Days is a 1979 Western film and prequel to the 1969 film Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. It starred Tom Berenger as Butch Cassidy and William Katt as the Sundance Kid....
, The Man with One Red Shoe
The Man with One Red Shoe
The Man With One Red Shoe is a 1985 comedy film directed by Stan Dragoti. It is a remake of a 1972 French film Le Grand Blond avec une chaussure noire starring Pierre Richard and Mireille Darc...
, and Heart Like a Wheel
Heart Like a Wheel
Heart Like a Wheel is Linda Ronstadt's fifth solo album release and the last-ever of her studio projects for Capitol Records, released in late 1974. It is universally considered to be Ronstadt's all-time high watermark masterpiece recording and a pioneering blueprint of Country Rock...
.
His television credits include Star Trek
Star Trek: The Original Series
Star Trek is an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry, produced by Desilu Productions . Star Trek was telecast on NBC from September 8, 1966, through June 3, 1969...
and Star Trek: The Next Generation
Star Trek: The Next Generation
Star Trek: The Next Generation is an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry as part of the Star Trek franchise. Roddenberry, Rick Berman, and Michael Piller served as executive producers at different times throughout the production...
, for which he won an Emmy.
Theiss was born in Medford, Massachusetts
Medford, Massachusetts
Medford is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, in the United States, on the Mystic River, five miles northwest of downtown Boston. In the 2010 U.S. Census, Medford's population was 56,173...
, the son of Harold Hetherington Theiss and Helen Theiss, and was named for his paternal grandfather, William Hodgson, and his paternal grandmother's family, Ellen (Ware) Hodgson. He attended Lowell High School
Lowell High School (San Francisco)
Lowell High School is a public magnet school in San Francisco, California. The school opened in 1856 as the Union Grammar School and attained its current name in 1896. Lowell moved to its current location in the Merced Manor neighborhood in 1962....
in San Francisco and graduated from Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
with a Bachelor of Arts as an art major, minoring in sciences, biology and chemistry before a four-year stint in the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
. He eventually moved to Los Angeles and attended Art Center for eight semesters. His first Hollywood job was as a personal secretary to Cary Grant, whose ex-wife, actress Dyan Cannon
Dyan Cannon
Dyan Cannon is an American film and television actress, director, screenwriter, editor, and producer.-Early life:...
, Theiss cited as having considerable influence on his career.
Career
Following six months at Universal Studios as an apprentice artist in the Advertising Art Department, Theiss worked at CBS in the Wardrobe Department on two televised soap operas. The film The Pink PantherThe Pink Panther
The Pink Panther is a series of comedy films featuring the bungling French police detective Jacques Clouseau that began in 1963 with the release of the film of the same name. The role was originated by, and is most closely associated with, Peter Sellers...
was his first as a designer, although he is credited as "wardrobe consultant". He returned to television as a wardrobe man for shows including Hollywood Palace and My Favorite Martian
My Favorite Martian
My Favorite Martian is an American television sitcom that aired on CBS from September 29, 1963 to May 1, 1966 for 107 episodes...
. His break as costume designer for “The World of Ray Bradbury" on stage brought him to the attention of Gene Roddenberry
Gene Roddenberry
Eugene Wesley "Gene" Roddenberry was an American television screenwriter, producer and futurist, best known for creating the American science fiction series Star Trek. Born in El Paso, Texas, Roddenberry grew up in Los Angeles, California where his father worked as a police officer...
, who then hired Theiss as costume designer for Star Trek
Star Trek: The Original Series
Star Trek is an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry, produced by Desilu Productions . Star Trek was telecast on NBC from September 8, 1966, through June 3, 1969...
. In the 1970s and early 80s he designed costumes for at least a dozen TV movies, including Genesis II
Genesis II
Genesis II is a 1973 American TV film created and produced by Gene Roddenberry and directed by John Llewellyn Moxey.It opens with the line, "My name is Dylan Hunt...
and The B.R.A.T. Patrol, as well as for over a dozen motion pictures, including three Academy Award for Costume Design
Academy Award for Costume Design
The Academy Award for Best Costume Design is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for achievement in film costume design....
nominations for 1976's Bound for Glory
Bound for Glory
Bound for Glory is a 1976 American biographical film directed by Hal Ashby and adapted by Robert Getchell from Woody Guthrie's 1943 autobiography Bound for Glory...
, 1979's Butch and Sundance: The Early Days
Butch and Sundance: The Early Days
Butch and Sundance: The Early Days is a 1979 Western film and prequel to the 1969 film Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. It starred Tom Berenger as Butch Cassidy and William Katt as the Sundance Kid....
, and 1983's Heart Like a Wheel
Heart Like a Wheel (film)
Heart Like a Wheel is a 1983 biographical film based on the life of drag racing driver Shirley Muldowney. It stars Bonnie Bedelia and Beau Bridges....
. His final credit was as costume designer for Star Trek: The Next Generation
Star Trek: The Next Generation
Star Trek: The Next Generation is an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry as part of the Star Trek franchise. Roddenberry, Rick Berman, and Michael Piller served as executive producers at different times throughout the production...
, for which he won an Emmy Award
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
for Outstanding Costume Design for a Series for the episode The Big Goodbye.
Theiss and Star Trek
The "Theiss Titillation Theory"—which claims that "the degree to which a costume is considered sexy is directly proportional to how accident-prone it appears to be"—is named after him. A key example of this idea in practice is the gynoid costume in the Star TrekStar Trek: The Original Series
Star Trek is an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry, produced by Desilu Productions . Star Trek was telecast on NBC from September 8, 1966, through June 3, 1969...
episode "What are Little Girls Made Of?" in which the revealing top portion consists only of two crossing straps of material that connect in one piece to trousers, and—Theiss's personal favorite—the gown featured in the episode "Who Mourns for Adonais?": a backless dress in which the front of the dress was held up by the weight of the train which fell over the shoulder to the floor.