Rick Baker | WatchedThis

Rick Baker

Rick Baker

Costume & Make-Up

Biography

Richard A. Baker (born December 8, 1950) is a retired American special make-up effects creator and actor, mostly known for his creature effects and designs. Baker won the Academy Award for Best Makeup a record seven times from a record eleven nominations, beginning when he won the inaugural award for the 1981 film An American Werewolf in London. As a teen, Baker began creating artificial body parts in his own kitchen. He also appeared briefly in the fan production The Night Turkey, a one-hour, black-and-white video parody of The Night Stalker directed by William Malone. Baker's first professional job was as an assistant to prosthetic makeup effects veteran Dick Smith on the 1973 film The Exorcist. While working on The Exorcist, Baker was hired by director Larry Cohen to design and create a mutant infant for Cohen's 1974 film It's Alive. Baker received the inaugural Academy Award for Best Makeup for his work on An American Werewolf in London. He also created the werewolf creature Michael Jackson transforms into in the music video Thriller. Subsequently, Baker has been nominated for the Best Makeup Oscar ten more times, winning on seven occasions, both records in his field. Baker claims that his work on Harry and the Hendersons is one of his proudest achievements.[8] On October 3, 2009, he received the Jack Pierce – Lifetime Achievement Award title of the Chiller-Eyegore Awards.[9] He was awarded a Doctorate of Humane Letters from the Academy of Art University San Francisco in 2008. He also contributes commentaries to the web series Trailers from Hell for trailers about horror and science fiction films. Baker received the 2485th star of the Hollywood Walk of Fame on November 30, 2012. The star is located in front of the Guinness World Records Museum. Baker announced his retirement on May 28, 2015: "First of all, the CG stuff definitely took away the animatronics part of what I do. It's also starting to take away the makeup part. The time is right, I am 64 years old, and the business is crazy right now. I like to do things right, and they wanted cheap and fast. That is not what I want to do, so I just decided it is basically time to get out. I would consider designing and consulting on something, but I don't think I will have a huge working studio anymore."

Filmography Movies

Acting

Poster for Men in Black II
MOVIE

Men in Black II

6.4(10.6K)
Men in Black II
MIB Passport Control Agent
Poster for The 'Frankenstein' Files: How Hollywood Made a Monster
MOVIE

The 'Frankenstein' Files: How Hollywood Made a Monster

7.7(0.0K)
The 'Frankenstein' Files: How Hollywood Made a Monster
Self
Poster for She's Alive! Creating 'The Bride of Frankenstein'
MOVIE

She's Alive! Creating 'The Bride of Frankenstein'

7.8(0.0K)
She's Alive! Creating 'The Bride of Frankenstein'
Self
Poster for It's Alive: The True Story of Frankenstein
MOVIE

It's Alive: The True Story of Frankenstein

8.8(0.0K)
It's Alive: The True Story of Frankenstein
Self
Poster for Into the Night
MOVIE

Into the Night

6.5(0.3K)
Into the Night
Drug Dealer
Poster for Cult of Terror
MOVIE

Cult of Terror

6.8(0.0K)
Cult of Terror
Self - Make-up Designer
Poster for The Thing with Two Heads
MOVIE

The Thing with Two Heads

5.0(0.0K)
The Thing with Two Heads
Gorilla
Poster for The Wolf Man: From Ancient Curse to Modern Myth
MOVIE

The Wolf Man: From Ancient Curse to Modern Myth

7.0(0.0K)
The Wolf Man: From Ancient Curse to Modern Myth
Self
Poster for Mummy Dearest: A Horror Tradition Unearthed
MOVIE

Mummy Dearest: A Horror Tradition Unearthed

7.0(0.0K)
Mummy Dearest: A Horror Tradition Unearthed
Self
Poster for MonsterKids: The Impact of Things That Go Bump In The Night
MOVIE

MonsterKids: The Impact of Things That Go Bump In The Night

MonsterKids: The Impact of Things That Go Bump In The Night
Self

Production

Poster for Gremlins 2: The New Batch
MOVIE

Gremlins 2: The New Batch

6.5(2.9K)
Gremlins 2: The New Batch
Special Effects
Poster for An American Werewolf in London
MOVIE

An American Werewolf in London

7.4(2.7K)
An American Werewolf in London
Makeup Effects
Poster for Mighty Joe Young
MOVIE

Mighty Joe Young

6.3(0.9K)
Mighty Joe Young
Special Effects
Poster for It Lives Again
MOVIE

It Lives Again

5.5(0.1K)
It Lives Again
Makeup Effects
Poster for The Thing with Two Heads
MOVIE

The Thing with Two Heads

5.0(0.0K)
The Thing with Two Heads
Special Effects
Poster for Click
MOVIE

Click

6.3(7.5K)
Click
Special Effects Makeup Artist
Poster for Ghosts
MOVIE

Ghosts

8.0(0.3K)
Ghosts
Makeup Effects
Poster for Cursed
MOVIE

Cursed

5.4(0.8K)
Cursed
Special Effects Makeup Artist
Poster for Schlock
MOVIE

Schlock

5.6(0.1K)
Schlock
Makeup Artist
Poster for Octaman
MOVIE

Octaman

3.7(0.0K)
Octaman
Costume Design

Gallery

Rick Baker portrait
Rick Baker portrait