Costume Designer Albert Wolsky

With a career that spans decades, Academy Awards for “All That Jazz” and “Bugsy,” and “Rules Don’t Apply” about to bring his work back to the screen, Albert Wolsky seems destined to have become a costume designer. He was introduced to Helene Pons, the renowned costume designer who worked on such shows as “Our Town,” “Babes in Arms,” and “My Fair Lady,” and thus started one of the most storied careers in Hollywood. Wolsky’s first big break came when he was hired to assist with the costumes on the Broadway production of “Camelot” in 1959. His work stood out and he was given his own shows to costume, which caught Hollywood’s attention. His artistry can be seen everywhere from the TV movie “Of Mice and Men” to beloved movie musicals like “Grease” and elegant character-driven stories like “Manhattan.” “I was 30 by the time I started and I felt that I had to learn quickly, to work hard and I think that was an advantage because it drove me,” Wolsky says. “That and I was very lucky.” Wolsky starts work on any project by doing two things — speaking with the director to get a sense of how costumes can help tell the story and then meticulously researching all aspects of the period in which a story takes place. He says he focuses on the director more than anything, and these core relationships have led to long-term collaborations. He made three films with Bob Fosse, more than 10 with Paul Mazursky, and has worked with Woody Allen, Sam Mendes, Alejandro G. Iñárritu, Nora Ephron, and Mik