Beloved Hollywood costume designer Jean-Pierre Dorléac dies aged 83

An Oscar-nominated costume designer who enthralled Daily Mail readers with his astonishing gossip about A-List stars has died at the age of 83.

Jean-Pierre Dorléac pᴀssed away from natural causes on July 23. 

The French-born costumier, who lived in Los Angeles, was best known for his work in 1981 time travel romance Somewhere in Time. 

That movie earned him an Oscar nomination, but Dorléac told the Daily Mail that its star Christopher Plummer was one of the vilest celebrities he ever encountered.

Dorléac worked on hundreds of movies, TV shows and music videos throughout his decades-long career. 

His most notable credits included Battlestar Galactica, Brooke Shields movie The Blue Lagoon and sci-fi TV hit Quantum Leap.

Hollywood costume designer Jean-Pierre Dorléac, pictured in 1979, has died at the age of 83

Dorleac, seen in a pH๏τo shared with the Daily Mail earlier this year, had a long and illustrious career in Hollywood -and was also a witty raconteur who loved to share outrageous Hollywood gossip

Born in Toulon in 1943, to a member of the US Armed Forces stationed in Europe, Dorléac spent the early part of his childhood in France.

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After his family moved back to the United States, he became a child actor – but found his calling after agreeing to design costumes for a theater production.

His big break came with the 1973 play Marat/Sade that was staged in Los Angeles, with Dorléac’s costumes winning him a Drama Critics Circle Award.

Dorléac then met Hollywood costume designer Edith Head, who took him under her wing and helped turbocharge his career.

Head, who won eight Oscars for her work on movies including All About Eve, Roman Holiday and Sabrina, served as Dorléac’s professional North Star.

He praised her talent and kindness in multiple chats with the Daily Mail.

Dorleac is pictured sketching designs in Los Angeles in 1980. His work on 1980 time travel romance Somewhere in Time earned him an Oscar nomination

Christopher Reeve and Jane Seymour are pictured on the set of Somewhere in Time, in costumes designed by Jean-Pierre Dorléac 

Dorléac is pictured with actress Olivia Hussey in the early 1980s. the pair were good friends 

And it was those interviews that helped make Dorléac a pop culture favorite, as he said the unsayable about multiple Hollywood icons.

Dorleac had harsh words for Audrey Hepburn, Christopher Plummer, Raquel Welch, Kirk Douglas, Suzanne Pleshette, Aretha Franklin, Kirstie Alley and Janis Joplin, among others.

He made stunning claims about the Sєx lives of actors Grace Kelly, Shelley Winters, Dack Rambo and Jon-Erik Hexum. 

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Dorléac liked Elizabeth Taylor – but revealed she was a cheapskate who would send bills for her underwear to Aids charity amFAR while campaigning on their behalf. 

For all his bracing criticism, Dorléac also insisted on hailing the many nice stars he had encountered throughout his career.

Fred Astaire, Bette Davis, Eartha Kitt, Gloria Estefan, Kim Cattrall, Diane Keaton, Henry Fonda were heaped with gushing compliments. 

Dorléac also surprised many Daily Mail readers with his verdict on the 2026 Met Gala – with toxic actress Blake Lively coming in for his highest sartorial praise.  

Dorléac became an author in his later years, with his memoir The Naked Truth filled with no-holds barred gossip from the second Golden Age of Hollywood.

He was looking for a publisher for his latest book, Evocative Observations, at the time of his death.

Explaining why he’d chosen to pull back the curtain on what Hollywood stars are really like, Dorléac told the Daily Mail: ‘Just because somebody is good looking does not mean they’re talented,’ he said

‘It does not mean they’re kind. It doesn’t mean they’re wonderful. It doesn’t mean it’s somebody you want to have coffee with.’

Dorléac is survived by his partner of 41 years, Gilberto Mello.