John Bright (costume designer)

John Myles Milton Bright OBE (born 7 March 1940) is a British costume designer. He is perhaps best known for his collaboration with Jenny Beavan on creating the costumes for Merchant Ivory Productions, and as the founder of Cosprop costume house.

John Bright OBE
Born	John Myles Milton Bright (1940-03-07) 7 March 1940 (age 85)
Occupation	Costume designer
Years active	1965–present

He has been nominated for the Academy Award for Best Costume Design six times, winning for A Room with a View (1985).

Charity work

In 2022, Bright set up The Bright Foundation, an arts education charity to provide access to the arts for children living in and around Hastings, East Sussex. The organization operates out of two venues, including the Barn Theatre and Museum and the Benbow Arts Space. The former venue features a barn-converted children's theatre and workshop studio, alongside a museum and exhibition space showcasing Bright's collection of period toys, puppets, and theatre sets, while the latter venue is located in the heart of St Leonards-on-Sea and is a creative learning hub dedicated to the art of filmmaking, where young people can discover their passion, develop skills and begin their journey into the film industry. The Foundation offers free access to both venues to schools and community groups.

Selected filmography

Year	Title	Director	Notes
1984	The Bostonians	James Ivory	with Jenny Beavan
1985	A Room with a View
1987	Maurice
1988	The Deceivers	Nicholas Meyer
1990	Mountains of the Moon	Bob Rafelson
1991	White Fang	Randal Kleiser
1992	Howards End	James Ivory
1993	The Remains of the Day
1995	Jefferson in Paris
	Sense and Sensibility	Ang Lee
1996	Twelfth Night	Trevor Nunn
1999	The Last September	Deborah Warner
	Onegin	Martha Fiennes	with Chloé Obolensky
2000	The Golden Bowl	James Ivory
2002	The Magnificent Ambersons	Alfonso Arau	Television film
2005	The White Countess	James Ivory
2019	Carmilla	Emily Harris

Awards and nominations

Award	Year	Category	Work	Result	Ref.
Academy Awards	1984	Best Costume Design	The Bostonians	Nominated	[1]
	1986		A Room with a View	Won	[2]
	1987		Maurice	Nominated	[3]
	1992		Howards End	Nominated	[4]
	1993		The Remains of the Day	Nominated	[5]
	1995		Sense and Sensibility	Nominated	[6]
British Academy Film Awards	1984	Best Costume Design	The Bostonians	Nominated	[7]
	1986		A Room with a View	Won	[8]
	1992		Howards End	Nominated	[9]
	1995		Sense and Sensibility	Nominated	[10]
Satellite Awards	2005	Best Costume Design	The White Countess	Nominated	[11]

Other honours

• Bright was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2024 Birthday Honours for services to costume design and to heritage.^[12]