Eddie Marks, the president of Western Costume Company whose career in costuming included early collaborations on Elvis Presley films, died Monday while visiting Prague. He was 76.
His death was announced by the company. A cause of death was not disclosed.
Born Edward Howard Marks in Bayonne, NJ, Marks moved with his family to Los Angeles in 1952, and in 1957 they settled in Woodland Hills, where he remained for the rest of his life.
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Beginning his career in the MGM Studios mailroom in 1965, Marks would soon work on such mid-1960s Presley films as Girl Happy, Spinout and Stay Away, Joe.
Marks went freelance in 1968, eventually becoming the costume supervisor on the hit TV series Streets of San Francisco (1972-1977) starring Karl Malden and Michael Douglas. In 1988, he received the Emmy Award for Outstanding Achievement in Costuming for a Mini-Series or Special for his work on the CBS Movie of the Week Shakedown on Sunset Strip.
Film credits include The Breakfast Club, Dead Poets Society, Christmas Vacation and Revenge of the Nerds.
Marks joined Western Costume Company in 1989 and successfully relocated the business, which opened in 1912, from Melrose to North Hollywood. He oversaw the company’s growth into the world’s largest costume company.
Beloved in the industry as a mentor to and supporter of many aspiring costumers, Marks is survived by his wife, Debby Marks; sons Branden and Garrett Marks; grandson Aiden Levy Marks; brother Sanford Marks; sister Wendy Goodman Marks; daughter in law Caitlin Marks; as well as other extended family.
A memorial service is being planned.
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