Catherine Martin facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Catherine Martin
Martin in 2013
Born	(1965-01-26) 26 January 1965 (age 60) Lindfield, New South Wales, Australia
Education	North Sydney Girls High School
Alma mater	Sydney College of the Arts East Sydney Technical College National Institute of Dramatic Arts
Occupation	Costume designer, production designer, set designer, film producer
Spouse(s)	Baz Luhrmann ​ (m. 1997)​
Children	2

Catherine Martin (born 26 January 1965) is an amazing Australian artist. She is a top costume designer, production designer, and set designer. This means she creates the clothes and the entire look of movies and stage shows.

Catherine has won four Academy Awards (Oscars)! She won two for Moulin Rouge! in 2002 and two more for The Great Gatsby in 2014. With these four Oscars, she is the most awarded Australian in Oscar history. She often works with her husband, filmmaker Baz Luhrmann, on famous movies like Romeo + Juliet (1996), Moulin Rouge! (2001), Australia (2008), The Great Gatsby (2013), and Elvis (2022).

Catherine Martin's Early Life and Career

Catherine Martin was born in Lindfield, New South Wales, Australia. Her mother was French, and her father was Australian. Both of her parents were university teachers.

How Did She Get Started in Design?

As a child, Catherine loved watching her grandmother's vintage clothing parades. She often asked her parents to take her to the Victoria and Albert Museum. There, she would explore the amazing costume section. Her mother taught her to sew when she was only six years old. By the time she was 15, she was making her own dress patterns. Catherine has said that movies like The Wizard of Oz and Gone with the Wind inspired her love for film and design.

Her Education and Meeting Baz Luhrmann

Catherine went to North Sydney Girls High School. She also worked as an usher at a local theatre. Later, she studied visual arts at the Sydney College of the Arts. She also learned pattern cutting and design at the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA). It was at NIDA that she met Baz Luhrmann, who would later become her husband and creative partner.

Designing for Stage and Screen

Catherine started designing sets and costumes for Baz Luhrmann's early stage shows. She worked on his production of "Lake Lost" in 1988. She also designed for an Australian play called "Diary of a Madman."

Her first big film project was recreating her stage designs for Strictly Ballroom (1992). For this movie, she won two Australian Film Institute Awards. She was nominated for an Oscar for her production design in Luhrmann's Romeo + Juliet (1996). She also became an associate producer for that film. Catherine married Baz Luhrmann on her 32nd birthday in 1997.

Designing for Famous Films

Catherine Martin has created the look for many well-known movies.

Moulin Rouge! (2001)

One of her most famous projects was Moulin Rouge! (2001). She designed the sets and co-designed the costumes with Angus Strathie. This film earned her two Academy Awards: one for Best Art Direction and another for Best Costume Design.

Australia (2008)

For the 2008 film Australia, Catherine designed Nicole Kidman's vintage clothes. She is very proud of how well the tailoring was done for the costumes in this movie. She received another Oscar nomination for her costume design for Australia.

The Great Gatsby (2013)

Catherine and Baz Luhrmann spent many years planning the film version of The Great Gatsby. They researched the 1920s era by visiting libraries and looking at historical fashion. Catherine felt like a "detective" during this time.

• Costumes: For the film's costumes, Catherine worked with famous brands like Brooks Brothers and designer Miuccia Prada. Prada designed many of the dresses for the party scenes. Tiffany & Co. provided all the beautiful jewelry. Catherine created about 500 outfits for the movie! She chose slimmer suits for Leonardo DiCaprio and focused on sleek dresses for the women. She even used thinner heels for shoes, like those seen in fashion drawings from the time.
• Sets: Catherine designed 42 sets for The Great Gatsby in just 14 weeks. She wanted the film to feel real but also connect with today's audience. For her amazing work on The Great Gatsby, Catherine won two more Academy Awards: one for Best Costume Design and another for Best Production Design. These wins made her the Australian with the most Academy Awards.

After The Great Gatsby, Catherine also worked with Brooks Brothers on a menswear collection. She also launched her own line of home products, including paints, wallpaper, and rugs.

Awards and Recognitions

Catherine Martin has received many awards and honors for her incredible work.

In 2013, Glamour Magazine named her a Woman of the Year. She told the magazine that she felt like the "Queen of England" because she had gone from painting floors herself to having 300 carpenters working for her.

Catherine believes that the best way to remember her work is by seeing the work itself. She makes sure that the costumes she creates are beautifully made, comfortable, and easy to wear.

In 2016, Catherine and Baz Luhrmann created the Netflix TV series The Get Down, which was set in the 1970s. Catherine was an executive producer for the show.

In 2022, she received the Longford Lyell Award at the 12th AACTA Awards. This is a special lifetime achievement award, the highest honor from the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts.

Catherine Martin's Family Life

Catherine Martin met her husband, Baz Luhrmann, when they were in college. They got married in 1997. They have two children: a daughter named Lillian Amanda, born in 2003, and a son named William Alexander, born in 2005. The family now spends more time in New York City.

Catherine Martin's Film and TV Work

Here are some of the films and TV shows Catherine Martin has worked on:

Film

Television

Awards and Nominations

Catherine Martin has won many awards for her work in film and television.

Academy Awards (Oscars)

British Academy Film Awards (BAFTAs)

Tony Awards (for Broadway shows)

Other Major Awards

Catherine Martin has also won many awards from other groups, including:

• AACTA Awards (Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Awards)
• Art Directors Guild Awards
• Critics' Choice Movie Awards
• Costume Designers Guild Awards
• Satellite Awards