Unknown in his home country but he dressed the stars

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It’s funny, as in strange, how some people have a high profile in their lifetime then fade from most memories over time. And some may be quite famous elsewhere but barely recognised in their own country. One of these is Orry-Kelly, born Orry George Kelly, who was born in Kiama, New South Wales, in December 1897. His father was a tailor and would have his son create portraits for his customers. When he was 17, he was sent to Sydney to study banking but by the age of 22, Orry-Kelly on his way to New York where he met Cary Grant. In 1931, they both relocated to Los Angeles and their careers took off. Orry-Kelly became chief costume designer for Warner Bros. working on silent films at first. He later worked for 20th Century Fox and Universal until 1950 after which he freelanced. Among those he dressed were Marilyn Monroe, Katharine Hepburn and Bette Davis, working on over 300 films, including Some Like It Hot, An American in Paris, Casablanca and Les Girls. Although he earnt good money, he drank a lot and wasted much of his wealth. When he passed away in 1964 from liver cancer, his pall-bearers included Cary Grant, Tony Curtis, Billy Wilder and George Cukor. Despite winning three Oscars for his costume designs, which have since gone missing, he is virtually unheard of in Australia. That might change with the ‘Orry-Kelly Dressing Hollywood Gala’, which will be held in his home town on July 26. The Public Domain image shows Marilyn Monroe in Some Like It Hot.