John
Mollo was born in London in 1931.
Both his parents were artists and from
his earliest years he drew copiously, with a particular interest in military
uniforms and costume, largely inspired by the movies he saw as a child. He
later studied illustration at art school.
In 1965 he was asked to work by the Director Tony
Richardson as
historical adviser on the film, The Charge of the Light Brigade. Since then his film credits as military
and historical advisor have included The Adventures of Gerard,
Nicholas and
Alexandra, and Barry
Lyndon.
His credits as costume designer include
Star
Wars (For which
he
received an Academy Award), Alien,The Empire Strikes Back, Outland,
Gandhi ( For
which he received his second Academy
Award), Greystoke , King David, Revolution, Cry Freedom, Chaplin,
Sharpe’s
Rifles (TV), The Three Musketeers, The Jungle Book, Event Horizon, and Horatio
Hornblower (For
which he
received three Emmy nominations).
Apart from his
film and television work, he has written a number of books on military
subjects, some of which he has illustrated. He has also worked as a book designer and editor.
