Anthea Sylbert

Anthea Sylbert ( Giannakouros; October 6, 1939 – June 18, 2024) was an American film producer and costume designer, who was active during the "modern era" of American film. She was nominated twice for Academy Awards for Best Costume Design, first at the 47th Academy Awards for Chinatown (1974), and then at the 50th Academy Awards for her work on Julia (1977). In addition, she had more than ten credits as producer or executive producer, including for such works as CrissCross (1991) and the television film Truman (1995), the latter of which earned Sylbert an Emmy. At the 7th Annual Costume Designers Guild Awards in 2005, Sylbert was an honoree, receiving the Lacoste Career Achievement award for film.

Early life and education
Anthea Sylbert was born Anthea Giannakouros in Brooklyn, New York, on October 6, 1939, to parents Nick and Georgia Giannakouros and lived in what has been described as a "close-knit Greek family". She had one brother, Thomas. Keenly interested in artistic activities as a child, she is reported to have learned to sew from a grandmother. Giannakouros studied art at Barnard College.

Career
Following her long period of costume design work, Sylbert took on executive production management roles at the vice president level, first at Warner Borothers, then at United Artists, where she was known, in particular, for her skills at conflict resolution when filmmakers were at odds with the studios. After this period, she began a deep partnership with Goldie Hawn, beginning with the film Private Benjamin (1980). Ultimately, the two of them created the Hawn/Sylvebert Movie Company, which produced a number of films, including Protocol (1984) and Something to Talk About (1995).

Work on Chinatown
Sylbert worked with Chinatown (1974) from its early days after her brother-in-law Richard Sylbert introduced and recommended her to director Roman Polanski. Sylbert was affectionately known in that close-working, small group of accomplished filmmakers as Ant for her penchant for "stringently straight" dark skirts and black turtlenecks. Sylbert was known to be "utterly unafraid to speak truth, no matter how ugly, to anyone, no matter how powerful". Her work was described as breaking with the past in its aim at being "not for beauty or for chic” but rather "to amplify character". Sylbert was nominated for the 1975 Academy Award for Best Costume Design for her work on the film.

Work on Julia
Sylbert was nominated for the 1978 Academy Award for Best Costume Design for her work on the film Julia (1977).

Personal life
Sylbert was married to actor and writer Richard Romanus from August 1985 until his death in December 2023. In 2004, Sylbert and Romanus moved to the Greek island of Skiathos. Sylbert died in Skiathos on June 18, 2024, at the age of 84.

Filmography
The following is Anthea Sylbert's list of credits, primarily as reported by the British Film Institute.

Producing

 * 1999, If You Believe
 * 1998, Giving up the Ghost (teleplay)
 * 1997, Hope
 * 1995, Truman
 * 1995, Something to Talk About
 * 1991, Deceived
 * 1991, Crisscross
 * 1990, My Blue Heaven
 * 1987, Overboard
 * 1986, Wildcats
 * 1984, Protocol

Costumes and costume design

 * 1978, F.I.S.T.
 * 1977, Julia
 * 1976, The Last Tycoon
 * 1976, King Kong
 * 1975, Shampoo
 * 1974, Chinatown
 * 1974, The Fortune
 * 1972, Bad Company
 * 1971, The Cowboys
 * 1971, Carnal Knowledge
 * 1969, The Illustrated Man
 * 1968, Rosemary's Baby

Other credits

 * 2008, Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired, on-screen participant
 * 1999, If You Believe, writer, with Richard Romanus
 * 1976, Mikey and Nicky, visual consultant

Awards and recognition
In addition to the 1975 and 1978 Academy Award nominations for best costume design, Sylbert won an Emmy for her production of Truman (1995). In 1999, Sylbert and Richard Romanus were nominated for Best Original Screenplay by the Writers Guild of America for the Christmas film If You Believe. Sylbert was an honoree at the 7th Annual Costume Designers Guild Awards (in 2005), where she received the Lacoste Career Achievement award for film.