Tony and Oscar-Winning Costume Designer Theoni V. Aldredge Dies at Age 78

Three-time Tony-winning costume designer Theoni V. Aldredge has died, a representative for her husband, actor Tom Aldredge, told Broadway.com. The designer, known for her work in such notable shows as Annie, A Chorus Line, Dreamgirls and La Cage aux Folles, had been suffering from a septic infection. She went into cardiac arrest at Stamford Memorial Hospital on January 21. She was 78.

Theoni Athanasiou Vachlioti was born in Salonika, Greece on August 22, 1932 and immigrated to the United States around 1949. With over 150 stage productions, ballets and films to her credit, she easily ranks as one of the most prolific and successful costume designers of our time. She won an Academy Award for her work on the film The Great Gatsby in 1975 and was nominated for two other films, Never on Sunday and Phaedra. Her career on stage encompasses over 80 Broadway credits, garnering 15 Tony Award nominations and three wins (for the original productions of Annie, Barnum and La Cage aux Folles.) Aldredge was inducted into the Theatre Hall of Fame in 1990.

The designer is survived by her husband, to whom she has been married since 1953. No memorial service is planned.