Hollywood special effects makeup master Rick Baker, who is called the hand of God by many filmmakers and fans, has elevated special effects makeup to an artistic level with his own hands. Since his introduction to film in 1971, he has created countless screen classics with his extraordinary skills and talent for special effects makeup, and his career of more than 40 years has allowed more than one generation to appreciate his works.
Richard A. "Rick" Baker was born on December 8, 1950 in Binghamton, New York. As a child, after watching the movie "Dr. Frankenstein", I was attracted by the doctor's laboratory in the film, thinking that simply being a doctor could get a variety of experimental instruments and instruments. His parents were very happy to become doctors, especially his father, Ralph B. Baker, who was an artist, but as he grew older and learned what a doctor really meant, he began to lose interest. Another reason, in an interview, Baker also admitted that as a child, he was somewhat introverted and timid, in fact, he liked the feeling of depression and horror brought by the laboratory and the medical desk, rather than the profession of doctor.
After discovering his son's true thoughts, the artist's father did not stop Baker, but encouraged and supported him, but his mother did not open up so much, and when Little Baker's friends and mothers came to complain that Little Baker often showed the bloody wounds they had drawn to their children, they felt a little too scary, and for this matter, Baker's mother had to let him ground for a while. During this time, Baker also began to get tired of making these wounds, and began to like to make various monsters, starting a career as a film and television makeup artist after completing his studies at the San Francisco University of the Arts.
Speaking of the idol who influenced Baker the most, he also said that Dick Smith was his mentor throughout his life, Baker was madly obsessed with the work of the Hollywood godfather makeup artist as a child, and after becoming a makeup artist, he finally got what he wanted to become Smith's apprentice, and in 1973 he worked as Smith's assistant in the film "The Exorcist".
Baker joined Cloaky Productions in the early '70s, starting as a grassroots filmmaker, and that experience led him to meet doug Beswick, David Allen, Dennis Muren, Phil Tippett and other film producers who became big hits. The 1971 film Octaman was his first film, followed by Baker's work in the '76 version of King Kong and the '77 Star Wars EP IV.
The film that really made him famous in Hollywood appeared in 1981, when the special effects makeup he made for American Werewolf in London brought him his first little golden man - the Oscar for Best Makeup and Hairstyling in 1982 (and the first time the award appeared), followed by a 50-year career in which he won the American Werewolf in London 1982, Bigfoot 1988, Ed Wood 1995, Professor Fat Guy 1997, Men in Black 1998, Christmas Monster In 2001, Werewolf 2011, he won seven little golden men and was nominated 11 times, an achievement that also made him the first person to wear special effects makeup in Hollywood today.
Participating works:
Octaman (1971) (Octaman costume; with Doug Beswick)[2]
The Thing with Two Heads (1972) (special effects)
Schlock (1973) (makeup artist)
The Exorcist (1973) (special effects assistant)
It's Alive (1974) (makeup artist)
The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman (1974) (makeup artist)
King Kong (1976) (makeup effects, actor)
Track of the Moon Beast (1976) (makeup artist)
Squirm (1976) (makeup designer)
The Incredible Melting Man (1977) (special makeup effects)
Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope (1977) (makeup artist: second unit), a Bith in the band "Figrin D'an and the Modal Nodes, cantina patron "Hem Dazon"
The Fury (1978) (special makeup effects)
An American Werewolf in London (1981) (special makeup effects)
The Howling (1981) (special makeup effects consultant)
The Funhouse (1981) (special makeup design)
The Incredible Shrinking Woman (1981) (makeup effects)
Videodrome (1983) (special makeup effects designer)
Thriller (1983) (special makeup effects creator, special makeup effects design)
Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes (1984) (special makeup effects)
Into the Night (1985) (actor)
My Science Project (1985) (special makeup effects artist)
Captain EO (1986) (special makeup effects)
Ratboy (1986) (designer: Ratboy)
Harry and the Hendersons (1987) (makeup artist, creature designer: Harry)
Beauty and the Beast (1987–89) (creature designer: Beast)
Werewolf (1987–88) (special makeup effects artist)
Coming to America (1988) (special makeup effects)
Gorillas in the Mist (1988) (special makeup effects, associate producer)
Missing Link (1988) (special makeup effects)
Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990) (special effects supervisor, co-producer)
The Rocketeer (1991) (makeup creator: Lothar)
Wolf (1994) (special makeup effects)
Ed Wood (1994) (makeup creator: Bela Lugosi, makeup designer: Bela Lugosi)
Batman Forever (1995) (special makeup designer/creator)
The Nutty Professor (1996) (special makeup effects)
The Frighteners (1996) (special makeup artist: The Judge)
Escape from L.A. (1996) (special makeup effects)
Ghosts (1997) (special makeup effects artist)
Men in Black (1997) (alien makeup effects, special makeup effects artist)
Critical Care (1997) (special makeup effects: Mr. Brooks)
Mighty Joe Young (1998) (special makeup effects)
Life (1999) (special makeup effects)
Wild Wild West (1999) (special effects makeup)
How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000) (special makeup effects)
Nutty Professor II: The Klumps (2000) (special makeup effects)
Planet of the Apes (2001) (makeup artist, special makeup effects designer/creator)
Men in Black II (2002) (alien makeup effects, special makeup effects artist)
The Ring (2002) (special makeup effects artist)
The Haunted Mansion (2003) (special makeup effects artist)
Hellboy (2004) (special effects director, special makeup effects artist)
The Ring Two (2005) (special makeup effects artist)
King Kong (2005) (actor)
Cursed (2005) (special makeup effects artist, special makeup effects designer/creator)
X-Men: The Last Stand (2006) (special makeup effects consultant, visual effects consultant)
Click (2006) (special age makeup artist, special makeup effects artist)
Enchanted (2007) (special makeup effects artist)
Norbit (2007) (special makeup effects artist)
Tropic Thunder (2008) (makeup designer: Mr. Downey, Jr.)
The Wolfman (2010) (special makeup effects)
Tron: Legacy (2010) (special makeup effects artist)
Men in Black 3 (2012) (alien makeup effects, special makeup effects artist)
Maleficent (2014) (special makeup effects artist)
Personal Honors:
Jack Pierce – Chiller-Eyegore Award – Lifetime Achievement Award
2485th Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame (2012)
Academy Award for Best Makeup & Hairstyling:
An American Werewolf in London, 1982
Harry and the Hendersons, 1988
Ed Wood, 1995
The Nutty Professor, 1997
BALCK MAN, 1998
How the Grinch Stole Christmas, 2001
The Wolfman, 2011
In the current film circle that uses a lot of CG digital technology, Baker still uses special effects makeup and mechanical props to match the way of stop-motion animation, for this point Baker also said that this manual technology is his own style, and will not be changed because of the development of the current CG digital technology, through latex, mechanical props To present the effect, can give the audience a more real feeling.