Don Loper

Don Loper was an American performer, designer, choreographer, screenwriter, and actor born on April 29, 1906, in Toledo, Ohio, under the name Lincoln George Hardloper. His career spanned multiple disciplines across stage, screen, and fashion, establishing him as a versatile figure in American entertainment and design.

Loper began his professional life as a dancer, a foundation that led him to Broadway between 1939 and 1940. His stage credits include the musical Very Warm for May, One for the Money, and All in Fun. His dancing background also brought him to film, where he was paired with Ginger Rogers in the 1944 production Lady in the Dark. He served as an assistant to Arthur Freed, the prominent producer of MGM musicals, and is credited with introducing Judy Garland to director Vincente Minnelli, whom she later married. Minnelli went on to direct Garland in Meet Me in St. Louis. Loper's additional film work includes It's a Pleasure (1945) and Sofia (1948), and his credits extended to choreography and associate producing.

Beyond performance, Loper built a significant career as a costume and necktie designer. His fashion work attracted high-profile clients, and designs he created for figures including Ella Fitzgerald and Lucille Ball are held in the collections of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and the California African American Museum. He also designed stewardess uniforms for Pan Am and Trans World Airlines. In 1955, Loper appeared as himself in an episode of the television series I Love Lucy titled "The Fashion Show." He was married to Violet Hughes. Loper died on November 22, 1972, at UCLA Medical Center in Santa Monica, California, from complications following tracheostomy cuff balloon slippage.