Deborah Nadoolman, a renowned costume designer, grew up in New York City, where she would often sneak into the back of Broadway houses to watch shows after finishing her high school day. Her passion for costume design was recognized early on, as she was awarded the first grant for Costume Design from the National Endowment for the Arts in the United States. Nadoolman earned her Master's degree in Costume Design from UCLA in 1975 and began her career in the industry working at NBC television.
Her versatility as a designer proved to be an asset for director John Landis, with whom she collaborated on several films, including the comedy classics National Lampoon's Animal House and The Blues Brothers. Nadoolman's work with Landis spanned over two decades, with notable films such as Trading Places, An American Werewolf in London, and Coming to America.
In addition to her work with Landis, Nadoolman has collaborated with other prominent directors, including Steven Spielberg, with whom she worked on the iconic costume design for Indiana Jones in Raiders of the Lost Ark. She has also designed costumes for films such as 1941, Crackers, and Mad City.
Nadoolman has received numerous awards and accolades for her work, including an MTV music video award for her design on Michael Jackson's Thriller. She is a two-term past president of The Costume Designer's Guild, Local 892, and has written several books on costume design, including Screencraft: Costume Design, Dressed: A Century of Hollywood Costume Design, and FilmCraft: Costume Design.
In addition to her work in film, Nadoolman has also designed costumes for numerous theatrical productions, including work for the Virginia Opera, American Conservatory Theatre, and the Mark Taper Forum. She is currently the David C. Copley Chair in Costume Design at UCLA's School of Theater, Film and Television, and Director of the David C. Copley Center for the Study of Costume Design at UCLA.
Nadoolman's academic credentials include a PhD in the History of Design from the Royal College of Art, which she earned in 2003. She is also the senior curator for the exhibition Hollywood Costume, which opened at the V&A Museum in London in 2012.
