Colleen Atwood (born September 25, 1948) is an American costume designer. She has received numerous accolades, including four Academy Awards, three BAFTA Awards, and two Emmy Awards. She was honored with the Costume Designers Guild Career Achievement Award in 2006 and named a Disney Legend in 2024.
Atwood frequently collaborated with directors Jonathan Demme, Tim Burton, and Rob Marshall. She has received 12 nominations for the Academy Award for Best Costume Design and has won four times for Chicago (2002), Memoirs of a Geisha (2005), Alice in Wonderland (2010), and Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2016).
Early life and education
Born in Ellensburg, Washington, Atwood grew up in the small farming community of Quincy, Washington. At 17, she became pregnant and didn't graduate high school with her class. To support her baby and her husband, who was in college, she took a job at a French fry factory. Then, Atwood received a scholarship to attend Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle in the early 1970s, and later worked in retail at various places, including the Yves St. Laurent boutique at Frederick & Nelson department store in the city.
Career
Atwood began her career as a fashion advisor in Washington in the early 1970s. She moved to New York in 1980, where she studied art at New York University. Her movie career started after a chance encounter with someone whose mother was designing the sets for the film Ragtime, and she got the job of a PA (production assistant) in the film. An important turning point in her career came when, through production designer Bo Welch with whom she had worked in Joe Versus the Volcano, she met director Tim Burton. Atwood and Burton worked together on over seven films in the next two decades, starting with Edward Scissorhands and including Sleepy Hollow, Ed Wood, Big Fish, Planet of the Apes, and Sweeney Todd. She moved to Los Angeles in 1990. Director Tim Burton brought on Atwood as the costume designer for the Netflix series Wednesday to design the looks for Gomez and Morticia Addams. The first thing she did was read the script. She started with Nevermore Academy and worked on the costumes for Wednesday Addams and Enid.
Atwood's favorite fashion designers include Azzedine Alaia,
Filmography
Film
{| class="wikitable sortable"
! Year
! Title
! Director
! Notes
!
|-
| 1984
| Firstborn
| rowspan="2" | Michael Apted
|
|
|-
| 1985
| Bring On the Night
|
|
|-
| 1986
| Manhunter
| Michael Mann
|
|
|-
| rowspan="3" | 1987
| Critical Condition
| Michael Apted
|
|
|-
| The Pick-up Artist
| James Toback
|
|
|-
| Someone to Watch Over Me
| Ridley Scott
|
|
|-
| rowspan="4" | 1988
| For Keeps
| John G. Avildsen
|
|
|-
| Married to the Mob
| Jonathan Demme
|
|
|-
| Fresh Horses
| David Anspaugh
|
|
|-
| Torch Song Trilogy
| Paul Bogart
|
|
|-
| 1989
| Hider in the House
| Matthew Patrick
|
|
|-
| rowspan="3" | 1990
| The Handmaid's Tale
| Volker Schlöndorff
|
|
|-
| Joe Versus the Volcano
| John Patrick Shanley
|
|
|-
| Edward Scissorhands
| Tim Burton
|
|
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1991
| The Silence of the Lambs
| Jonathan Demme
|
|
|-
| Rush
| Lili Fini Zanuck
|
|
|-
| 1992
| Lorenzo's Oil
| George Miller
|
|
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1993
| Born Yesterday
| Luis Mandoki
|
|
|-
| Philadelphia
| Jonathan Demme
|
|
|-
| rowspan="4" | 1994
| Cabin Boy
| Adam Resnick
|
|
|-
| Wyatt Earp
| Lawrence Kasdan
|
|
|-
| Ed Wood
| Tim Burton
|
|
|-
| Little Women
| Gillian Armstrong
|
|
|-
| 1995
| The Grotesque
| John-Paul Davidson
|
|
|-
| rowspan="4" | 1996
| The Juror
| Brian Gibson
|
|
|-
| That Thing You Do!
| Tom Hanks
|
|
|-
| Head Above Water
| Jim Wilson
|
|
|-
| Mars Attacks!
| Tim Burton
|
|
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1997
| Buddy
| Caroline Thompson
|
|
|-
| Gattaca
| Andrew Niccol
|
|
|-
| rowspan="3" | 1998
| Fallen
| Gregory Hoblit
|
|
|-
| Beloved
| Jonathan Demme
|
|
|-
| Mumford
| Lawrence Kasdan
|
|
|-
| 1999
| Sleepy Hollow
| Tim Burton
|
|
|-
| rowspan="3" | 2001
| Golden Dreams
| Agnieszka Holland
|
|
|-
| The Mexican
| Gore Verbinski
|
|
|-
| Planet of the Apes
| Tim Burton
|
|
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2002
| CinéMagique
| Jerry Rees
|
|
|-
| Chicago
| Rob Marshall
|
|
|-
| 2003
| Big Fish
| Tim Burton
|
|
|-
| 2004
| Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events
| Brad Silberling
|
|
|-
| 2005
| Memoirs of a Geisha
| Rob Marshall
|
|
|-
| 2006
| Mission: Impossible III
| J. J. Abrams
|
|
|-
| 2007
| Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
| Tim Burton
|
|
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2009
| Nine
| Rob Marshall
|
|
|-
| Public Enemies
| Michael Mann
|
|
|-
| 2010
| Alice in Wonderland
| Tim Burton
|
|
|-
| 2010
| The Tourist
| Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck
|
|
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2011
| The Rum Diary
| Bruce Robinson
|
|
|-
| In Time
| Andrew Niccol
|
|
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2012
| Dark Shadows
| Tim Burton
|
|
|-
| Snow White and the Huntsman
| Rupert Sanders
|
|
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2014
| Big Eyes
| Tim Burton
|
|
|-
| Into the Woods
| Rob Marshall
|
|
|-
| 2015
| Blackhat
| Michael Mann
|
|
|-
| rowspan="4" | 2016
| The Huntsman: Winter's War
| Cedric Nicolas-Troyan
|
|
|-
| Alice Through the Looking Glass
| James Bobin
|
|
|-
| Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children
| Tim Burton
|
|
|-
| Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
| David Yates
|
|
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2018
| Tomb Raider
| Roar Uthaug
| with Timothy A. Wonsik
|
|-
| Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald
| David Yates
|
|
|-
| rowspan="4" | 2019
| Dumbo
| Tim Burton
|
|
|-
| Lady and the Tramp
| Charlie Bean
| with Timothy A. Wonsik
|
|-
| Now Is Everything
| Valentina De Amicis<br>Riccardo Spinotti
|
|
|-
| Bombshell
| Jay Roach
|
|
|-
| 2020
| Borat Subsequent Moviefilm
| Jason Woliner
| Visual consultant
|
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2022
| Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore
| David Yates
|
|
|-
| Top Gun: Maverick
| Joseph Kosinski
| Visual consultant
|
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2023
| The Little Mermaid
| Rob Marshall
|
|
|-
| Pain Hustlers
| David Yates
|
|
|-
| 2024
| Beetlejuice Beetlejuice
| Tim Burton
|
|
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2025
| Kiss of the Spider Woman
| Bill Condon
| with Christine Cantella
|
|-
| One Battle After Another
| Paul Thomas Anderson
|
|
|-
|
|Rothko
|
|
|
|}
Television
{|class="wikitable sortable"
|-
!Year
!Title
!Notes
!
|-
| 1985
| Out of the Darkness
| Television film
|
|-
| 2001
| The Tick
| Episode: "Pilot"
|
|-
| 2012
| Arrow
| Episode: "Pilot"
|
|-
| 2014–2018
| The Flash
| 2 episodes
|
|-
| 2015
| Supergirl
| Episode: "Pilot"
|
|-
| 2016
| The Tick
| Episode: "Pilot"
|
|-
| 2020
| High Fidelity
| Episode: "Top Five Heartbreaks"
|
|-
| 2022–2025
| Wednesday
| 15 episodes
|
|-
| 2024
| Masters of the Air
| 9 episodes
|
|}
Awards and nominations
;Major associations
Academy Awards
{| class=wikitable
|-
! scope="col" style="width:5em;" | Year
! scope="col" style="width:26em;"| Category
! scope="col" style="width:25em;"| Nominated work
! scope="col" style="width:5em;" | Result
! Ref.
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 1995
| rowspan="12" | Best Costume Design
| Little Women
|
|style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 1999
| Beloved
|
|style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 2000
| Sleepy Hollow
|
|style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 2003
| Chicago
|
|style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 2005
| Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events
|
|style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 2006
| Memoirs of a Geisha
|
|style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 2008
| Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
|
|style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 2010
| Nine
|
|style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 2011
| Alice in Wonderland
|
|style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 2013
| Snow White and the Huntsman
|
|style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 2015
| Into the Woods
|
|style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 2017
| Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
|
|style="text-align:center;"|
|}
BAFTA Awards
{| class=wikitable
|-
! scope="col" style="width:5em;" | Year
! scope="col" style="width:26em;"| Category
! scope="col" style="width:25em;"| Nominated work
! scope="col" style="width:5em;" | Result
! Ref.
|-
! colspan="5"|British Academy Film Awards
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 1992
| rowspan="11" | Best Costume Design
| Edward Scissorhands
|
|style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 1995
| Little Women
|
|style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 2000
| Sleepy Hollow
|
|style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 2002
| Planet of the Apes
|
|style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 2003
| Chicago
|
|style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 2006
| Memoirs of a Geisha
|
|style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 2008
| Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
|
|style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 2011
| Alice in Wonderland
|
|style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 2013
| Snow White and the Huntsman
|
|style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 2015
| Into the Woods
|
|style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 2017
| Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
|
|style="text-align:center;"|
|}
Emmy Awards
{| class=wikitable
|-
! scope="col" style="width:5em;" | Year
! scope="col" style="width:26em;"| Category
! scope="col" style="width:25em;"| Nominated work
! scope="col" style="width:5em;" | Result
! Ref.
|-
! colspan="5"|Primetime Emmy Awards
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 2007
| Outstanding Costumes for a Variety Program or Special
| Tony Bennett: An American Classic
|
|style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 2023
| Outstanding Contemporary Costumes
| Wednesday
|
|style="text-align:center;"|
|}
;Miscellaneous awards
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+
|-
! scope="col" | Award
! scope="col" | Year
! scope="col" | Category
! scope="col" | Title
! scope="col" | Result
! Ref.
|-
! rowspan="2" scope="row" style="text-align:center;"| Astra Film and Creative Arts Awards
| rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;"| 2024
| Best Costume Design
| Beetlejuice Beetlejuice
|
| rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| Artisan Icon Award
|
|
|-
! rowspan="2" scope="row" style="text-align:center;"| Astra TV and Creative Arts Awards
| style="text-align:center;"| 2023
| Best Fantasy or Science Fiction Costumes
| rowspan="2" | Wednesday
|
|style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 2025
| Best Costume Design
|
|style="text-align:center;"|
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center;"| CFDA Fashion Awards
| style="text-align:center;"| 2013
| Board of Director’s Tribute Award
|
|
|style="text-align:center;"|
|-
! rowspan="20" scope="row" style="text-align:center;"| Costume Designers Guild Awards
| style="text-align:center;"| 1999
| Excellence in Film
| Beloved
|
|style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 2000
| rowspan="4" | Excellence in Period/Fantasy Film
| Sleepy Hollow
|
|style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 2002
| Planet of the Apes
|
|style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 2003
| Chicago
|
|style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 2005
| Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events
|
|style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;"| 2006
| Excellence in Period Film
| Memoirs of a Geisha
|
|style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| Career Achievement Award
|
|
|style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 2008
| rowspan="2" | Excellence in Period Film
| Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
|
|style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 2010
| Nine
|
|style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 2011
| rowspan="5" | Excellence in Fantasy Film
| Alice in Wonderland
|
|style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 2013
| Snow White and the Huntsman
|
|style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 2015
| Into the Woods
|
|style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;"| 2017
| Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
|
| rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children
|
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 2023
| Excellence in Contemporary Television
| Wednesday
|
|style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 2024
| rowspan="2" | Excellence in Sci-Fi/Fantasy Film
| The Little Mermaid
|
|style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 2025
| Beetlejuice Beetlejuice
|
|style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| rowspan="3" style="text-align:center;"| 2026
| Excellence in Contemporary Film
| One Battle After Another
|
|style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| Excellence in Contemporary Television
| Wednesday
|
| rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| Excellence in Short Form Design
| Lady Gaga: "The Dead Dance"
|
|-
! rowspan="5" scope="row" style="text-align:center;"| Critics' Choice Awards
| style="text-align:center;"| 2010
| rowspan="5" | Best Costume Design
| Nine
|
|style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 2011
| Alice in Wonderland
|
|style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 2015
| Into the Woods
|
|style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 2016
| Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
|
|style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 2026
| Kiss of the Spider Woman
|
|style="text-align:center;"|
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center;"| Disney Legends
| style="text-align:center;"| 2024
| Costume Design
|
|
|style="text-align:center;"|
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center;"| Empire Awards
| style="text-align:center;"| 2017
| Best Costume Design
| Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
|
|style="text-align:center;"|
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center;"| Hamilton Behind the Camera Awards
| style="text-align:center;"| 2025
| Costume Design
| One Battle After Another
|
|style="text-align:center;"|
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center;"| Hollywood Beauty Awards
| style="text-align:center;"| 2026
| Outstanding Achievement in Costume Design
|
|
|style="text-align:center;"|
|-
! rowspan="2" scope="row" style="text-align:center;"| Hollywood Film Awards
| style="text-align:center;"| 2005
| rowspan="2" | Hollywood Costume Design Award
| Memoirs of a Geisha
|
|style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 2009
| Nine
|
|style="text-align:center;"|
|-
! rowspan="5" scope="row" style="text-align:center;"| Las Vegas Film Critics Society Awards
| style="text-align:center;"| 2000
| rowspan="5" | Best Costume Design
| Sleepy Hollow
|
|style="text-align:center;"|
|-
|style="text-align:center;"| 2007
| Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
|
|style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 2010
| Alice in Wonderland
|
|style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 2016
| Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
|
|style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 2025
| Kiss of the Spider Woman
|
|style="text-align:center;"|
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center;"| Middleburg Film Festival
| style="text-align:center;"| 2014
| Distinguished Costume Designer
|
|
|style="text-align:center;"|
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center;"| Newport Beach Film Festival
| style="text-align:center;"| 2024
| Career Achievement in Costume Design
|
|
|style="text-align:center;"|
|-
! rowspan="2" scope="row" style="text-align:center;"| Online Film Critics Society Awards
| style="text-align:center;"| 2003
| Best Costume Design
| Chicago
|
|style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 2026
| Lifetime Achievement Award
|
|
|style="text-align:center;"|
|-
! rowspan="7" scope="row" style="text-align:center;"| Phoenix Film Critics Society Awards
| style="text-align:center;"| 2002
| rowspan="7" | Best Costume Design
| Planet of the Apes
|
|style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 2003
| Chicago
|
|style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 2005
| Memoirs of a Geisha
|
|style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 2007
| Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
|
|style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 2010
| Alice in Wonderland
|
|style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 2014
| Into the Woods
|
|style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 2016
| Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
|
|style="text-align:center;"|
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center;"| SCAD Savannah Film Festival
| style="text-align:center;"| 2024
| Variety’s Creative Impact in Costume Design
|
|
|style="text-align:center;"|
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center;"| San Diego Film Critics Society Awards
| style="text-align:center;"| 2024
| Best Costume Design
| Beetlejuice Beetlejuice
|
|style="text-align:center;"|
|-
! rowspan="10" scope="row" style="text-align:center;"| Satellite Awards
| style="text-align:center;"| 1999
| rowspan="10" | Best Costume Design
| Beloved
|
|style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 2000
| Sleepy Hollow
|
|style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 2002
| Planet of the Apes
|
|style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 2005
| Memoirs of a Geisha
|
|style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 2009
| Nine
|
|style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 2010
| Alice in Wonderland
|
|style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 2012
| Snow White and the Huntsman
|
|style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 2015
| Into the Woods
|
|style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 2017
| Alice Through the Looking Glass
|
|style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 2019
| Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald
|
|style="text-align:center;"|
|-
! rowspan="14" scope="row" style="text-align:center;"| Saturn Awards
| rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;"| 1992
| rowspan="14" | Best Costume Design
| Edward Scissorhands
|
| rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| The Silence of the Lambs
|
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 1997
| Mars Attacks!
|
|style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 1998
| Gattaca
|
|style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 2000
| Sleepy Hollow
|
|style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 2002
| Planet of the Apes
|
|style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 2008
| Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
|
|style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 2010
| Nine
|
|style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 2011
| Alice in Wonderland
|
|style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 2013
| Snow White and the Huntsman
|
|style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 2015
| Into the Woods
|
|style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;"| 2017
| Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
|
|style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| Alice Through the Looking Glass
|
|style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 2025
| Beetlejuice Beetlejuice
|
|style="text-align:center;"|
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center;"| Venice Film Festival
| style="text-align:center;"| 2012
| Gucci Award for Women in Cinema
| Snow White and the Huntsman
|
|style="text-align:center;"|
|}
Notes
References
Bibliography
- Colleen Atwood Biography (1950-) filmreference
External links
- Palm Springs Life, January 2004
- Council of Fashion Designers of America