Biography

Ret Turner was born in 1929 in Marianna, Florida, USA. He was a costume designer, known for Mama's Family (1983), The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour (1971) and Carol & Company (1990). He died on May 3, 2016 in West Hollywood, California, USA.

Ret Turner is known for his work on The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour (1971), The Sonny and Cher Show (1976) and The 79th Annual Academy Awards (2007).

He partnered with two other designers whose fashions had become famous on red carpets and on TV and movie screens, Bob Mackie and Ray Aghayan.

He got his nickname in high school when there was a fad to spell names backward. His first name became Retlaw, which was shortened to Ret.

As a child, he worked after school in his parents' clothing store. He acted in in college productions and summer stock, and headed to Hollywood in 1950 hoping to find work as an actor. Instead, after a stint with a small theater company, he ended up in the wardrobe department at NBC, which he later managed.

He was an Emmy Award-winning costume designer who worked with many of television's biggest stars in the 1970s and '80s.