Rosemary Vercoe

Rosemary Joyce Vercoe (29 April 1917 – 28 July 2013) was a British actress and costume designer, perhaps best known for being a long-term collaborator with Jonathan Miller on his opera and theatre productions.

Early life She was born on 29 April 1917 at Old Court nursing home, Hanger Hill, Ealing, London, the second of five children of Richard Herbert Vercoe (1884–1930), of Southall, Middlesex, a doctor, and his wife, (Elizabeth) Selina Vercoe, née Skinner (1881–1960). Vercoe was educated at Chelmsford County High School for Girls, followed by Chelsea School of Art, where her teachers included Graham Sutherland and Henry Moore. She was known for her meticulous historical research, and for using ordinary everyday clothes of the period, rather than "costumes". It was most recently revived in 2017, using Vercoe's costume design, which reviewers still comment on, "the mafia concept, although prolific in opera stagings these days, is still a perfect fit for Rigoletto".

London's Victoria and Albert Museum includes Vercoe's costumes from the 1979 English National Opera production of The Turn of the Screw. The V&A also houses her extensive archives.

Personal life She was married to the set designer Patrick Robertson, and they were frequent collaborators.

Later life Vercoe died at the Highgate Nursing Home, 12 Hornsey Lane, Islington, London, on 28 July 2013.