Bob Mackie's name is synonymous with glamour, so it should be no surprise to learn that he was born in Los Angeles in 1940. After high school, he majored in advertising art and illustration at Pasadena City College and soon won a scholarship to the Chouinard Art Institute, where he earned a degree in costume design. After graduation, Mackie stayed in town, working as an assistant to such legendary Hollywood designers as Jean Louis and Edith Head.
In 1963, he was hired by Ray Aghayan, head designer for
The Judy Garland Show on CBS, and Mackie went on to create costumes for a wide range of television shows and specials: the 11-year run of
The Carol Burnett Show and
The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour, as well as TV versions of
Kismet,
Brigadoon,
Carousel and
Gypsy. Mackie's designs for television were worn by the likes of Diana Ross, Mitzi Gaynor, Diahann Carroll, Ann-Margret, Raquel Welch, Angela Lansbury and many more, and they garnered him 9 Emmy Awards and 30 nominations.
Mackie made his Broadway debut, again with Ray Aghayan, designing costumes for the revival of
On the Town in 1971 and went on to design costumes for
Lorelei (1974),
Platinum (1978),
The Best Little Whorehouse Goes Public (1994),
Moon Over Buffalo (1995) and
Minnelli on Minnelli (1999). Mackie also designed the 2001 Off-Broadway production of
Pete 'n' Keely. His Oscar-nominated film work includes designs for
Lady Sings the Blues (1972),
Funny Lady (1975) and
Pennies from Heaven (1981).
In 1982, Mackie established a ready-to-wear company called Bob Mackie Originals. In addition to costume and fashion design, Mackie has a loyal customer base for his "Wearable Art" program on the QVC network. He also has a line of fragrances, a collectible Barbie Doll series and a line of home furnishings. In 1999, he was honored with a retrospective of his achievements at The Fashion Institute of Technology, and the exhibit coincided with the release of his book, Unmistakably Mackie. In 2002, Mackie created costumes for Cher's national farewell tour.