TOSI, PIERO

(1927-)

Costume designer. Widely regarded as Italy's leading film costume designer, Tosi first made his mark by dressingLuchino Visconti'sBellissima(1951). He went on to design the costumes for all of Visconti's subsequent films, including all the elegant period costumes ofIl gattopardo(The Leopard, 1963), for which he received his first nomination for an Academy Award. Much in demand, he was called to work with all the other major Italian directors includingVittorio De Sica, for whom he designed the costumes ofIeri, oggi e domani(Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow, 1963) andMatrimonio all'Italiana(Marriage Italian Style, 1964), and withMauro Bolognini, with whom he collaborated on a host of films from the earlyIl bell'Antonio(Bell'Antonio, I960) toLa storia vera della signora delle camelie(The True Story of the Lady of the Camelias, 1981).An extremely imaginative and versatile artist, Tosi was also responsible for the makeup and hairstyles ofFederico Fellini'sSatyricon(Fellini Satyricon, 1969) as well as the overall production design ofToby Dammit, Fellini's contribution to the compilation filmTre passi nel delirio(Spirits of the Dead, 1968). In the 1980s he worked most often withFranco Zeffirelli, his designs for Zeffirelli's production ofLa traviata(1982) earning him his fifth Oscar nomination. After collaborating one last time with Zeffirelli onStoria di una capinera(Sparrow, 1994), Tosi officially retired from the film industry to continue teaching costume design at theCentro Sperimentale di Cinematografia.