Biography
Walter Plunkett was an American costume designer who worked on more than 150 films. Born in Oakland, California, he studied law at the University of California but became involved in the university's theatrical group. He moved to New York in 1923, where he worked as a stage actor and designer, before returning to California and entering the film industry as an extra, later transitioning to costume design.
His first credited work as a costume designer was the 1927 film Hard-Boiled Haggerty. At RKO he built a major costume and wardrobe department. Plunkett is best known for his period costumes on Gone with the Wind (1939) and for designing the 1920s-era costumes in Singin' in the Rain (1952). He shared the Academy Award for Best Costume Design (colour) in 1951 with Orry-Kelly and Irene Sharaff for An American in Paris.
