Emmy-nominated costume designer Helen Bernadette O'Brien (nee Brady), known for productions including Murder, She Wrote and MacGyver, was born in Dublin, Ireland, on March 29, 1934, Bernadette and her husband Jack emigrated to the United States in 1955, settling in Cleveland, Ohio. Having learned to sew at a young age, Bernadette found costuming work on theatrical productions in Cleveland and took up a post teaching costume design at a local university. She was acclaimed for her work with the Great Lakes Shakespeare Festival.

Bernadette moved to Los Angeles in 1977 to kick off a successful career as a costume designer and wardrobe stylist on dozens of Hollywood films and series. She was a constant presence on studio backlots for decades, working on productions including the Golden Globe-nominated TV movie "American Tragedy", the TV series Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction, the TV series Murder, She Wrote, the TV series T.J. Hooker, the comedy-horror film "House", and the Oscar-nominated film "For the Boys".

After showing off her particular skill with period piece costumes on an episode of the hit series MacGyver, she garnered an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Achievement in Costuming for a Series in 1992.

While visiting her native Ireland during a film shoot with Angela Lansbury, Bernadette decided to purchase a home there. She acquired land in the small village of Boolavogue, close to where she would spend childhood holidays during the tough years of World War II. She planted a lavender farm and ran a successful business from it, with locals dubbing her the Lavender Lady. She spent every summer in Ireland going forward, splitting her time between her Irish lavender farm and her beloved home in Bungalow Heaven, Pasadena. Her annual Saint Patrick's Day parties would draw hundreds of guests to enjoy her corned beef and scones while listening to traditional Irish music.