Theodor Pištěk, Czech Oscar-winning costume designer, dies at 93

PRAGUE AP Theodor Pi t k a Czech costume and stage designer and painter who won an Academy Award for his work on the film Amadeus has died He was His death was informed on Thursday by the town of Muka ov just east of Prague where he lived and was approved by his family to the local CTK news agency They commented he died on Wednesday but gave no other details Pi t k s costumes appeared in the films of director Franti ek Vl il from the end of s including Marketa Lazarov and The Valley of the Bees but his bulk famous work appears in the movies by late Czech-born director Milos Forman The two became friends during their mandatory military facility in communist Czechoslovakia Forman ended up settling in the United States following the Soviet led invasion of Czechoslovakia and while Pi t k remained in Czechoslovakia they two nonetheless cooperated on films Pi t k won an Academy Award for best costume design in multiple-Oscar winner Amadeus which was filmed in Czechoslovakia As he accepted the award in he called it the biggest and happiest day of my film career Pi t k was also nominated for an Academy award for Forman s movie Valmont He won the the French Cesar award for that film Pi t k and Forman also worked together on The People vs Larry Flynt Pi t k was born on Oct in Prague to parents who were both actors He graduated from Prague s Academy of Fine Arts in Until the middle of the s Pi t k was also involved in motor racing as a driver and cars became a subject of paintings he made that were displayed in the United States and elsewhere After the Velvet Revolution led by late Vaclav Havel that ousted the communist regime Pi t k designed the uniforms for the guards at Prague Castle the seat of presidency As president Havel awarded him a state decoration in Source