Jenny Beavan

Jenny Beavan (born 1950) is a British costume designer. She has received numerous accolades, including three Academy Awards, four BAFTA Film Awards, two Emmy Awards, and an Olivier Award, in addition to nominations for three BAFTA Television Awards and a Tony Award. She was honored with the Costume Designers Guild Career Achievement Award in 2025. Beavan was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2017.

Beavan came to prominence for her decade-long collaboration with John Bright on creating the costumes for Merchant Ivory Productions. She has received 12 nominations for the Academy Award for Best Costume Design and has won three times for A Room with a View (1985), Mad Max: Fury Road (2015), and Cruella (2021). She has also been nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Costume Design ten times and had a record four wins for A Room With a View, Gosford Park (2001), Mad Max: Fury Road, and Cruella.

On television, Beavan has been nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Costumes for a Miniseries, Movie, or Special five times, winning twice for Emma (1996) and Return to Cranford (2010). She has also received three nominations for the British Academy Television Craft Award for Best Costume Design.

On stage, Beavan created costumes for various Royal Shakespeare Company, West End, and Broadway productions. She won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Costume Design for the West End revival of the Noël Coward play Private Lives in 2001, and she received the Tony Award for Best Costume Design nomination the following year when the production was transferred to Broadway.

Early life Beavan was born in London, England. Her father was a cellist, and her mother a viola player. She has a sister. At the age of ten, Beavan's grandfather took her to a showing of the play Twelfth Night and from that moment on she knew she had to be involved in theater in some type of way. She attended Putney High School, an independent girls' day school in Putney, London. For college, she attended the Central School of Art and Design (currently Central St. Martin's), and under the teachings of Ralph Koltai she studied stage design. Despite being taught that costuming was "insignificant," she began to love the craft. In the 1970s, she worked on set design for London theatrical productions. Beavan was assistant to Judy Moorcroft on the 1979 film The Europeans, the first 'proper' Merchant-Ivory film that featured precise and authentic period costuming. This began her long relationship with Merchant Ivory productions.

She has frequently worked with costume designer John Bright, who runs the costume-rental house Cosprop, and credits him with educating her as she was starting out her career. She said she was helped by "just listening to him and learning from him, learning the history and the politics of clothing". Beavans design process begins with breaking down scripts and reviewing until they are known like the back of her hand, developing an understanding of each character.

Beavan was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2017 New Year Honours for services to drama production.

In June 2018, Beavan was awarded an Honorary Fellowship by Arts University Bournemouth alongside dancer Darcey Bussell, graphic designer Margaret Calvert, OBE, and director and screenwriter Edgar Wright.

In 2022, Beavan nabbed her 4th BAFTA, as well as her 3rd Academy Award for Craig Gillespie's Disney live-action spin-off of Cruella.

Personal life She has one daughter, Caitlin, a theatre producer born in 1985. They worked together on the West End theatre production of Third Finger Left Hand at Trafalgar Studios in 2013.

Filmography Film YearTitleDirectorNotes 1979 The Europeans James Ivory Costume assistant to Judy Moorcroft 1980 Jane Austen in Manhattan 1984 The Bostonians with John Bright 1985 A Room with a View 1987 Maurice 1988 A Summer Story Piers Haggard The Deceivers Nicholas Meyer with John Bright 1990 Mountains of the Moon Bob Rafelson 1991 White Fang Randal Kleiser Impromptu James Lapine 1992 Howards End James Ivory with John Bright 1993 Swing Kids Thomas Carter The Remains of the Day James Ivory with John Bright 1994 Black Beauty Caroline Thompson 1995 Jefferson in Paris James Ivory with John Bright Sense and Sensibility Ang Lee 1996 Jane Eyre Franco Zeffirelli 1997 Metroland Philip Saville 1998 Ever After Andy Tennant 1999 Tea with Mussolini Franco Zeffirelli with Anna Anni and Alberto Spiazzi Anna and the King Andy Tennant 2001 Gosford Park Robert Altman 2002 Possession Neil LaBute 2003 Timeline Richard Donner 2004 Alexander Oliver Stone 2005 Casanova Lasse Hallström 2006 The Amazing Grace Jeta Amata The Black Dahlia Brian De Palma Amazing Grace Michael Apted 2008 Defiance Edward Zwick 2009 Sherlock Holmes Guy Ritchie 2010 The King's Speech Tom Hooper 2011 Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows Guy Ritchie 2012 Gambit Michael Hoffman 2015 Child 44 Daniel Espinosa Mad Max: Fury Road George Miller 2016 A United Kingdom Amma Asante A Cure for Wellness Gore Verbinski 2017 Life Daniel Espinosa 2018 Christopher Robin Marc Forster The Nutcracker and the Four Realms Lasse HallströmJoe Johnston 2019 Mrs Lowry & Son Adrian Noble 2020 Dolittle Stephen Gaghan 2021 Cruella Craig Gillespie 2022 Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris Anthony Fabian 2024 White Bird Marc Forster Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga George Miller 2025 The Choral Nicholas Hytner

Television YearTitleNotes 1978 Hullabaloo Over Georgie and Bonnie's Pictures with Purnima AgarwalAlso makes a cameo as GovernessTelevision film 1980 Holding the Fort Episode: "Over a Barrel" 1981 A Fine Romance 6 episodes 1986 Lord Mountbatten: The Last Viceroy 6 episodes 1989 Back Home Television film 1992 The Blackheath Poisonings 3 episodes 1996 Emma Television film 2002 The Gathering Storm 2003 Byron 2 episodes 2007 Cranford 5 episodes 2009 Return to Cranford 2 episodes 2015 Esio Trot Television film

Awards and nominations Major associations Academy Awards Year Category Nominated work Result Ref. 1985 Best Costume Design The Bostonians 1987 A Room with a View 1988 Maurice 1993 Howards End 1994 The Remains of the Day 1996 Sense and Sensibility 2000 Anna and the King 2002 Gosford Park 2011 The King's Speech 2016 Mad Max: Fury Road 2022 Cruella 2023 Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris

BAFTA Awards Year Category Nominated work Result Ref.British Academy Film Awards 1985 Best Costume Design The Bostonians 1987 A Room with a View 1993 Howards End 1996 Sense and Sensibility 2000 Tea with Mussolini 2002 Gosford Park 2011 The King's Speech 2016 Mad Max: Fury Road 2022 Cruella 2023 Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris British Academy Television Craft Awards 2003 Best Costume Design The Gathering Storm 2008 Cranford 2010 Return to Cranford

Emmy Awards Year Category Nominated work Result Ref.Primetime Emmy Awards 1986 Outstanding Costumes for a Miniseries, Movie, or Special Lord Mountbatten: The Last Viceroy 1997 Emma 2002 The Gathering Storm 2008 Cranford 2010 Return to Cranford

Laurence Olivier Awards Year Category Nominated work Result Ref. 2002 Best Costume Design Private Lives

Tony Awards Year Category Nominated work Result Ref. 2002 Best Costume Design Private Lives

Miscellaneous awards + Award Year Category Title Result Ref. AACTA Awards 2015 Best Costume Design Mad Max: Fury Road 2025 Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga Africa Movie Academy Awards 2007 Best Costume Design The Amazing Grace American Cinematheque's Tribute to the Crafts 2022 Costume Designer – Feature Film Cruella Astra Film and Creative Arts Awards 2022 Best Costume Design 2023 Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris 2024 Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga British Independent Film Awards 2022 Best Costume Design Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris Camerimage 2023 Costume Designer with Unique Visual Sensitivity Chicago Film Critics Association Awards 2021 Best Costume Design Cruella 2024 Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga Ciak d'oro 1999 Best Costume Design Tea with Mussolini Costume Designers Guild Awards 2009 Outstanding Made for Television Movie or Miniseries Cranford 2010 Excellence in Period Film Sherlock Holmes 2011 The King's Speech 2016 Excellence in Fantasy Film Mad Max: Fury Road 2019 Excellence in Sci-Fi/Fantasy Film The Nutcracker and the Four Realms 2021 Dolittle 2022 Excellence in Period Film Cruella 2023 Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris 2025 Excellence in Sci-Fi/Fantasy Film Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga Career Achievement Award Critics' Choice Awards 2011 Best Costume Design The King's Speech 2016 Mad Max: Fury Road 2022 Cruella David di Donatello Awards 1996 Best Costumes Jane Eyre Drama Desk Awards 2002 Outstanding Costume Design Private Lives Empire Awards 2016 Best Costume Design Mad Max: Fury Road Evening Standard British Film Awards 2011 Technical Achievement Award The King's Speech Las Vegas Film Critics Society Awards 2010 Best Costume Design 2015 Mad Max: Fury Road 2021 Cruella 2024 Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga London Film Critics' Circle Awards 2022 Technical Achievement Award Cruella Online Film Critics Society Awards 2022 Best Costume Design 2025 Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga Phoenix Film Critics Society Awards 2002 Best Costume Design Gosford Park 2010 The King's Speech 2015 Mad Max: Fury Road Royal Television Society Craft & Design Awards 2004 Best Costume Design – Drama Byron San Diego Film Critics Society Awards 2022 Best Costume Design Cruella 2023 Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris Satellite Awards 1999 Best Costume Design Ever After 2000 Anna and the King 2006 The Black Dahlia 2007 Amazing Grace 2010 The King's Speech Saturn Awards 1999 Best Costume Design Ever After 2010 Sherlock Holmes 2012 Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows 2022 Cruella Seattle Film Critics Society Awards 2016 Best Costume Design Mad Max: Fury Road 2022 Cruella 2024 Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga St. Louis Film Critics Association Awards 2021 Best Costume Design Cruella 2022 Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris

Honorary degrees +Name of school, year given, and name of degree School Year Degree Arts University Bournemouth 2018 Honorary Fellow Girls' Day School Trust 2016 Alumna of the Year Rose Bruford College 2011 Honorary Fellow University of Huddersfield 2024 Doctor of the University (Hon DUniv)

Other honours Beavan was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2017 New Year Honours for services to drama production. Beavan was made a Royal Designer for Industry (RDI) by the Royal Society of Arts in 2022.