Sir Cecil Walter Hardy Beaton

Sir Cecil Walter Hardy Beaton , 1904-80, English scenery and costume designer, photographer, writer, painter, and diarist. After designing his first stage show (1935), Beaton worked on numerous productions, including Lady Windermere's Fan, Vanessa (opera), Gigi (film, 1951), My Fair Lady (stage, 1956; film, 1964), and Coco (1969). He is also recognized for his photography, particularly his glamorous portraits of the rich and famous, many of whom were either friends or acquaintances, and for the numerous books he wrote and illustrated.

Bibliography: See his autobiographical The Wandering Years (1962), The Happy Years (1972), Memoirs of the 40s (1973), and The Unexpurgated Beaton: The Cecil Beaton Diaries as He Wrote Them, 1970-1980 (2003, ed. by H. Vickers); biography by H. Vickers (1986); H. Vickers, Loving Garbo: The Story of Greta Garbo, Cecil Beaton, and Mercedes de Acosta (1994); T. Pepper, Beaton Portraits (2004).

Beaton, Sir Cecil Walter Hardy (1904–80) British photographer, costume and stage designer, and writer. He began his career as a fashion photographer in the 1920s, and took up stage design in the 1930s. His film and stage designs include Gigi (1951), My Fair Lady (stage, 1956; film, 1964), and Coco (1969). Beaton's books include The Wandering Years (1962).