---
name: "Walter Plunkett"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/walter-plunkett"
fi1m_id: "walter-plunkett"
imdb_id: "nm0687703"
tmdb_id: 11491
wikidata_id: "Q711664"
roles: ["Costume designer"]
born: "4 June 1902"
died: "8 March 1982"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 15
average_fi1m_score: 76
average_over: 15
updated: "2026-09-25T08:30:01.152697+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Walter Plunkett

## Identity

Walter Plunkett

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/walter-plunkett
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** walter-plunkett
- **IMDb ID:** nm0687703
- **TMDB ID:** 11491
- **Wikidata ID:** Q711664
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Plunkett, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q711664, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0687703/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/11491

Costume designer. Born 4 June 1902 in Oakland, California, USA. Died 8 March 1982.

## Details

- **Work:** Costume designer
- **Born:** 4 June 1902, Oakland, California, USA
- **Died:** 8 March 1982
- **Active:** 1934–1962
- **Also known as:**  Walter Plunket 
- **Frequently works with:** [John Ford](https://film.one/person/john-ford.md), [Pandro S. Berman](https://film.one/person/pandro-s-berman.md), [Vincente Minnelli](https://film.one/person/vincente-minnelli.md), [Albert Hackett](https://film.one/person/albert-hackett.md), [Arthur Freed](https://film.one/person/arthur-freed.md), [Dorothy Yost](https://film.one/person/dorothy-yost.md), [Dudley Nichols](https://film.one/person/dudley-nichols.md), [Frances Goodrich](https://film.one/person/frances-goodrich.md)
- **Academy Awards:** 1 Oscar (1 won · 10 nominated)
- **Fi1m score by decade:** 1930s 78 (5), 1940s 82 (1), 1950s 79 (7), 1960s 60 (2)
- **Fi1m against the critics:** 77 to 78 across 8 titles
- **Score spread:** 4 at 80+, 10 at 60–79, 1 under 60
- **Genres:** Romance 9, Comedy 6, Drama 6, Western 4, Adventure 2, Action 1
- **Screen time:** 30 hours of reviewed films
- **Box office:** $465m across 13 films with figures
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Plunkett, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q711664, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0687703/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/11491

## Streaming the US now

- **HBO Max:** [*Singin' in the Rain*](https://film.one/film/singin-in-the-rain.md) (93), [*Stagecoach*](https://film.one/film/stagecoach.md) (84), [*Gone with the Wind*](https://film.one/film/gone-with-the-wind.md) (74)
- **Tubi:** [*Adam's Rib*](https://film.one/film/adams-rib.md) (82), [*Forbidden Planet*](https://film.one/film/forbidden-planet.md) (81), [*Seven Brides for Seven Brothers*](https://film.one/film/seven-brides-for-seven-brothers.md) (76)

For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country.

## 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*.

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, imdb.com.*

## On Fi1m (15)

- *How the West Was Won* (1962), Fi1m 62, Costume Design, Costume design — [page](https://film.one/film/how-the-west-was-won.md)
- *Cimarron* (1960), Fi1m 57, Costume Design, Costume design — [page](https://film.one/film/cimarron.md)
- *Some Came Running* (1958), Fi1m 76, Costume Design, Costume design — [page](https://film.one/film/some-came-running.md)
- *Forbidden Planet* (1956), Fi1m 81, Costume Design, Costume design — [page](https://film.one/film/forbidden-planet.md)
- *Seven Brides for Seven Brothers* (1954), Fi1m 76, Costume Design, Costume design — [page](https://film.one/film/seven-brides-for-seven-brothers.md)
- *Singin' in the Rain* (1952), Fi1m 93, Costume Design, Costume design — [page](https://film.one/film/singin-in-the-rain.md)
- *An American in Paris* (1951), Fi1m 76, Costume Design, Costume design — [page](https://film.one/film/an-american-in-paris.md)
- *Father of the Bride* (1950), Fi1m 77, Costume Design, Costume design — [page](https://film.one/film/father-of-the-bride.md)
- *King Solomon's Mines* (1950), Fi1m 72, Costume design, Costume Design — [page](https://film.one/film/king-solomons-mines.md)
- *Adam's Rib* (1949), Fi1m 82, Costume design, Costume Design — [page](https://film.one/film/adams-rib.md)
- *Gone with the Wind* (1939), Fi1m 74, Costume Design, Costume design — [page](https://film.one/film/gone-with-the-wind.md)
- *Stagecoach* (1939), Fi1m 84, Costume design, Costume Design — [page](https://film.one/film/stagecoach.md)
- *Alice Adams* (1935), Fi1m 79, Costume Design, Costume design — [page](https://film.one/film/alice-adams.md)
- *The Informer* (1935), Fi1m 73, Costume design, Costume Design — [page](https://film.one/film/the-informer.md)
- *The Gay Divorcee* (1934), Fi1m 79, Costume design, Costume Design — [page](https://film.one/film/the-gay-divorcee.md)

## Complete filmography (208)

Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page.

- *7 Women* (1965), Costume Design
- *Marriage on the Rocks* (1965), Costume Design
- *How the West Was Won* (1962), Costume Design — Fi1m 62, [page](https://film.one/film/how-the-west-was-won.md)
- *Two Weeks in Another Town* (1962), Costume Design
- *The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse* (1962), Costume Design
- *Pocketful of Miracles* (1961), Costume Design
- *Cimarron* (1960), Costume Design — Fi1m 57, [page](https://film.one/film/cimarron.md)
- *Bells Are Ringing* (1960), Costume Design
- *Pollyanna* (1960), Costume Designer
- *Home from the Hill* (1960), Costume Design
- *Some Came Running* (1958), Costume Design — Fi1m 76, [page](https://film.one/film/some-came-running.md)
- *The Law and Jake Wade* (1958), Costume Design
- *The Sheepman* (1958), Costume Design
- *The Brothers Karamazov* (1958), Costume Design
- *Raintree County* (1957), Costume Design
- *Gun Glory* (1957), Costume Design
- *The Wings of Eagles* (1957), as Wardrobe Master
- *Lust for Life* (1956), Costume Designer
- *The Fastest Gun Alive* (1956), Costume Design
- *Tribute to a Bad Man* (1956), Costume Design
- *Forbidden Planet* (1956), Costume Design — Fi1m 81, [page](https://film.one/film/forbidden-planet.md)
- *Diane* (1956), Costume Design
- *The King's Thief* (1955), Costume Design
- *The Scarlet Coat* (1955), Costume Design
- *Moonfleet* (1955), Costume Design
- *The Glass Slipper* (1955), Costume Design
- *Jupiter's Darling* (1955), Costume Designer
- *Many Rivers to Cross* (1955), Costume Design
- *Deep in My Heart* (1954), Costume Design
- *Athena* (1954), Costume Design
- *Seven Brides for Seven Brothers* (1954), Costume Design — Fi1m 76, [page](https://film.one/film/seven-brides-for-seven-brothers.md)
- *Valley of the Kings* (1954), Costume Design
- *Kiss Me Kate* (1953), Costume Design
- *All the Brothers Were Valiant* (1953), Costume Design
- *The Actress* (1953), Costume Design
- *Ride, Vaquero!* (1953), Costume Design
- *Young Bess* (1953), Costume Design
- *Million Dollar Mermaid* (1952), Costume Design
- *Plymouth Adventure* (1952), Costume Design
- *The Prisoner of Zenda* (1952), Costume Design
- *Carbine Williams* (1952), Costume Design
- *Singin' in the Rain* (1952), Costume Design — Fi1m 93, [page](https://film.one/film/singin-in-the-rain.md)
- *Westward the Women* (1951), Costume Design
- *The Man with a Cloak* (1951), Costume Design
- *An American in Paris* (1951), Costume Design — Fi1m 76, [page](https://film.one/film/an-american-in-paris.md)
- *The Law and the Lady* (1951), Costume Design
- *Show Boat* (1951), Costume Design
- *Kind Lady* (1951), Wardrobe Designer
- *Soldiers Three* (1951), Costume Design
- *Mr. Imperium* (1951), Costume Design
- *Payment on Demand* (1951), Costume Design
- *The Magnificent Yankee* (1950), Costume Design
- *Two Weeks with Love* (1950), Costume Design
- *King Solomon's Mines* (1950), Costume Design — Fi1m 72, [page](https://film.one/film/king-solomons-mines.md)
- *Summer Stock* (1950), Costume Design
- *The Toast of New Orleans* (1950), Costume Design
- *Devil's Doorway* (1950), Costume Design
- *The Happy Years* (1950), Costume Design
- *Father of the Bride* (1950), Costume Design — Fi1m 77, [page](https://film.one/film/father-of-the-bride.md)
- *Annie Get Your Gun* (1950), Costume Design
- *Stars in My Crown* (1950), Costume Design
- *Black Hand* (1950), Costume Design
- *The Outriders* (1950), Costume Design
- *Adam's Rib* (1949), Costume Design — Fi1m 82, [page](https://film.one/film/adams-rib.md)
- *That Forsyte Woman* (1949), Costume Design
- *Madame Bovary* (1949), Costume Designer
- *The Secret Garden* (1949), Costume Design
- *Little Women* (1949), Costume Design
- *The Kissing Bandit* (1948), Costume Designer
- *The Three Musketeers* (1948), Costume Design
- *Summer Holiday* (1948), Costume Design
- *Song of Love* (1947), Costume Design
- *The Sea of Grass* (1947), Costume Design
- *Green Dolphin Street* (1947), Costume Design
- *Duel in the Sun* (1946), Costume Design
- *Along Came Jones* (1945), Costume Design
- *A Song to Remember* (1945), Costume Design
- *Knickerbocker Holiday* (1944), Costume Design
- *In Old Oklahoma* (1943), Costume Designer
- *Forever and a Day* (1943), Costume Design
- *The Corsican Brothers* (1942), Costume Design
- *Lady for a Night* (1942), Costume Design
- *Lydia* (1941), Costume Design
- *Ladies in Retirement* (1941), Costume Design
- *Vigil in the Night* (1940), Costume Design
- *Gone with the Wind* (1939), Costume Design — Fi1m 74, [page](https://film.one/film/gone-with-the-wind.md)
- *The Hunchback of Notre Dame* (1939), Costume Designer
- *The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle* (1939), Costume Design
- *Stagecoach* (1939), Costume Design — Fi1m 84, [page](https://film.one/film/stagecoach.md)
- *The Adventures of Tom Sawyer* (1938), Costume Designer
- *Nothing Sacred* (1937), Costume Design
- *The Woman I Love* (1937), Costume Design
- *The Soldier and the Lady* (1937), Costume Design
- *Quality Street* (1937), Costume Design
- *The Plough and the Stars* (1936), Costume Design
- *A Woman Rebels* (1936), Costume Design
- *Mary of Scotland* (1936), Costume Design
- *Chatterbox* (1936), Costume Designer
- *Another Face* (1935), Costume Design
- *To Beat the Band* (1935), Costume Design
- *The Three Musketeers* (1935), Costume Design
- *The Rainmakers* (1935), Costume Design
- *His Family Tree* (1935), Costume Design
- *The Return Of Peter Grimm* (1935), Costume Design
- *Alice Adams* (1935), Costume Design — Fi1m 79, [page](https://film.one/film/alice-adams.md)
- *Hot Tip* (1935), Costume Design
- *Jalna* (1935), Costume Design
- *The Arizonian* (1935), Costume Design
- *Village Tale* (1935), Costume Design
- *Hooray for Love* (1935), Costume Design
- *The Informer* (1935), Costume Design — Fi1m 73, [page](https://film.one/film/the-informer.md)
- *Chasing Yesterday* (1935), Costume Design
- *Captain Hurricane* (1935), Costume Design
- *Enchanted April* (1935), Costume Design
- *The Little Minister* (1934), Costume Design
- *West of the Pecos* (1934), Costume Design
- *The Silver Streak* (1934), Costume Design
- *Lightning Strikes Twice* (1934), Costume Design
- *Dangerous Corner* (1934), Costume Design
- *Anne of Green Gables* (1934), Costume Design
- *By Your Leave* (1934), Costume Design
- *Woman in the Dark* (1934), Costume Design
- *Kentucky Kernels* (1934), Costume Design
- *Wednesday's Child* (1934), Costume Design
- *The Gay Divorcee* (1934), Costume Design — Fi1m 79, [page](https://film.one/film/the-gay-divorcee.md)
- *Gridiron Flash* (1934), Costume Design
- *The Richest Girl in the World* (1934), Costume Design
- *The Age of Innocence* (1934), Costume Design
- *Down to Their Last Yacht* (1934), Costume Design
- *The Fountain* (1934), Costume Design
- *Their Big Moment* (1934), Costume Design
- *His Greatest Gamble* (1934), Costume Design
- *Bachelor Bait* (1934), Costume Design
- *Hat, Coat and Glove* (1934), Costume Design
- *Of Human Bondage* (1934), Costume Designer
- *We're Rich Again* (1934), Costume Design
- *Let's Try Again* (1934), Costume Design
- *Cockeyed Cavaliers* (1934), Costume Design
- *Murder on the Blackboard* (1934), Costume Design
- *The Life of Vergie Winters* (1934), Costume Design
- *Stingaree* (1934), Costume Design
- *Where Sinners Meet* (1934), Costume Design
- *Strictly Dynamite* (1934), Costume Design
- *Sing and Like It* (1934), Costume Design
- *This Man Is Mine* (1934), Costume Design
- *Success at Any Price* (1934), Costume Design
- *The Crime Doctor* (1934), Costume Designer
- *Spitfire* (1934), Costume Design
- *Keep 'Em Rolling* (1934), Costume Design
- *Hips, Hips, Hooray!* (1934), Costume Design
- *Long Lost Father* (1934), Costume Design
- *Man of Two Worlds* (1934), Costume Design
- *The Meanest Gal in Town* (1934), Costume Design
- *The Son of Kong* (1933), Costume Design
- *Flying Down to Rio* (1933), Costume Design
- *Little Women* (1933), Costume Design
- *The Right To Romance* (1933), Costume Design
- *Ace of Aces* (1933), Costume Design
- *Aggie Appleby, Maker of Men* (1933), Costume Design
- *Ann Vickers* (1933), Costume Design
- *Morning Glory* (1933), Costume Design
- *Blind Adventure* (1933), Costume Design
- *No Marriage Ties* (1933), Costume Design
- *Double Harness* (1933), Costume Design
- *Emergency Call* (1933), Costume Design
- *Melody Cruise* (1933), Costume Design
- *Tomorrow at Seven* (1933), Costume Design
- *Cross Fire* (1933), Costume Design
- *The Silver Cord* (1933), Costume Design
- *Sweepings* (1933), Costume Design
- *Scarlet River* (1933), Costume Design
- *Christopher Strong* (1933), Costume Design
- *The Great Jasper* (1933), Costume Design
- *Lucky Devils* (1933), Costume Design
- *The Past of Mary Holmes* (1933), Costume Design
- *The Animal Kingdom* (1932), Costume Design
- *Night After Night* (1932), Costume Design
- *The Phantom of Crestwood* (1932), Costume Design
- *The Most Dangerous Game* (1932), Costume Design
- *Dixiana* (1930), Costume Design
- *Seven Keys to Baldpate* (1929), Costume Design
- *The Vagabond Lover* (1929), Costume Design
- *Tanned Legs* (1929), Costume Design
- *Night Parade* (1929), Costume Design
- *Half Marriage* (1929), Costume Design
- *The Delightful Rogue* (1929), Costume Design
- *Rio Rita* (1929), Costume Design
- *The Very Idea* (1929), Costume Design
- *The Big Diamond Robbery* (1929), Costume Design
- *Gun Law* (1929), Costume Designer
- *The Red Sword* (1929), Costume Designer
- *Love In The Desert* (1929), Costume Design
- *The Air Legion* (1929), Costume Designer
- *Hey Rube!* (1928), Costume Design
- *Sinners in Love* (1928), Costume Designer
- *Stocks and Blondes* (1928), Costume Designer
- *Hit of the Show* (1928), Costume Designer
- *When the Law Rides* (1928), Costume Design
- *Wallflowers* (1928), Costume Design
- *Wizard of the Saddle* (1928), Costume Design
- *Legionnaires in Paris* (1927), Costume Design
- *The Bandit's Son* (1927), Costume Design
- *The Boy Rider* (1927), Costume Designer
- *Clancy's Kosher Wedding* (1927), Costume Designer
- *Lightning Lariats* (1927), Costume Design
- *A Regular Scout* (1926), Costume Design
- *Red Hot Hoofs* (1926), Costume Design
- *One Minute to Play* (1926), Costume Design

## Gallery

- ![Gone with the Wind (1939).](https://film.one/media/person/59288/gallery-65a97d18bfde.png) Gone with the Wind (1939). — Selznick International Pictures; Fred Parrish, photographer, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ec/Gone_with_the_Wind_red_dress_fitting.png/1280px-Gone_with_the_Wind_red_dress_fitting.png?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Walter Plunkett with the burgundy dress of Gone with the Wind (1939).](https://film.one/media/person/59288/gallery-13836f6dc2a2.jpg) Walter Plunkett with the burgundy dress of Gone with the Wind (1939). — Selznick International Pictures; Fred Parrish, photographer, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/94/Walter_Plunkett.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled)

## Awards

### Academy Awards — 1 won, 10 nominated

- 1964: Best Costume Design, Color (nominated), for *How the West Was Won*
- 1962: Best Costume Design, Color (nominated), for *Pocketful of Miracles*
- 1959: Best Costume Design (nominated), for *Some Came Running*
- 1958: Best Costume Design (nominated), for *Raintree County*
- 1954: Best Costume Design, Color (nominated), for *Young Bess*
- 1954: Best Costume Design, Black-and-White (nominated), for *The Actress*
- 1952: Best Costume Design (won), for *An American in Paris*
- 1952: Best Costume Design, Color (nominated), for *An American in Paris*
- 1952: Best Costume Design, Black-and-White (nominated), for *Kind Lady*
- 1951: Best Costume Design, Black-and-White (nominated), for *The Magnificent Yankee*
- 1951: Best Costume Design, Color (nominated), for *That Forsyte Woman*

*From Wikidata, which records wins more completely than nominations.*

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/walter-plunkett