- Born
- Died
- Birth nameRoman Petrovich Tyrtov
- Erté was born on November 23, 1892 in St. Petersburg, Russia. He was a costume designer and art director, known for Bright Lights (1925), Dance Madness (1926) and Time, the Comedian (1925). He died on April 21, 1990 in Paris, France.
- Designed sets and costumes for stage shows, including productions for Ziegfeld Follies and Greenwich Village Follies, from the 1920's onward.
- Had a tempestuous working relationship with Lillian Gish while he was designing for her film La Bohème (1926) and ultimately left the film industry after only briefly establishing himself as a Hollywood costume designer.
- His fanciful cover art for the Hearst-owned magazine Harper's Bazaar led to his first job on a film, the Marion Davies vehicle The Restless Sex (1920). He would not contribute designs to a film for another five years.
- His favorite movie star to dress during his time at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer was Carmel Myers. He also professed to enjoy working with Renée Adorée and Claire Windsor. He told the press that he was saddened to have never designed for Eleanor Boardman.
- A 1967 exhibition of his work was bought - in toto - by the Metropolitan Museum of art... the first time the museum had bought an entire exhibit.
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