This is by no means an extensive list of movie makeup artists, but these are some of the top names of the most important pioneers of the craft, and certainly those whose work I have always admired. |
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Lon Chaney
Leonidas Frank “Lon” Chaney was not only a great actor of his time, but one of the true great pioneers of screen makeup. He was renowned for his portrayals of tortured and afflicted characters, most notably in The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1923), and The Phantom Of the Opera (1925). His makeup was transformative in ways rarely seen before, very ahead of its time, and it was often painful for him to wear due to the extreme nature of the contorting and heavy appliances. Chaney pushed the boundaries of screen makeup and earned the nickname “The Man of a Thousand Faces”. |
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Jack Pierce
Jack Pierce became a Hollywood makeup artist who created some of the most iconic creatures in cinema history. Even if you don’t know who he is, you will absolutely know his work. Pierce was hired by Universal studios where he went on to create Boris Karloff’s iconic makeup for Frankenstein (1932), objectively one of the most famous monster makeups of all time. He worked again with Karloff for The Mummy (1932), and Lon Chaney Jr’s hairy beast makeup in The Wolf Man (1941). Although Pierce was not popular at the studio and eventually left, his influence on screen makeup was legendary and inspired artists such as Rick Baker and Tom Savini. |
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John Chambers
John Chambers began his career making prosthetic repairs to the faces of injured soldiers as well as prosthetic limbs for veterans. He soon found his way into TV in the makeup department, working on shows such as The Munsters and The Outer Limits, and famously, the pointy ears for Spock. But it was his groundbreaking makeup work on the original Planet of the Apes (1968), which featured full expressive ape prosthetics, that he will always be best known for. This work became a huge leap forward in screen makeup and opened new possibilities for convincing actor-led creature designs. |
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Dick Smith
Dick Smith is known as the Godfather of Makeup, elevating the state of the art and influencing the entire modern makeup industry to this day. He started his career in TV, but his work on The Exorcist (1973) in which he transformed a little girl into a terrifying demonic possession victim, became a turning point in screen makeup. Smith created some of the most convincing old age makeups ever seen in film, as well as some of the most imaginative creations in films such as Altered States (1980) and Spasms (1983). |
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Rick Baker
Rick Baker grew up watching monster movies on TV and became obsessed with them. He began creating masks and makeups during his childhood, and eventually became an assistant to Dick Smith on The Exorcist (1973), which launched his film career. His work stood out in early films such as King Kong (1976), Star Wars (1977) and The Incredible Melting Man (1977). But the film that brought him to prominence was An American Werewolf in London (1981) which featured the most groundbreaking transformation ever seen, and marked the beginning of a special makeup category to be created by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Baker had a long and productive career and has always been regarded as one of the greatest monster makers of all time. |
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Tom Savini
Tom Savini was always regarded as the King of Gore. During the 1980s, many low budget horror films featured gory effects that were simplistic and cheap, but Savini brought craft and artistry to the genre. His work on Dawn of the Dead (1978) was groundbreaking at the time, but the sequel Day of the Dead (1985) is regarded as his masterpiece. Savini worked on many of the most iconic slasher films of the era, such as Friday 13th (1980), The Burning (1981) and Maniac (1981). As well as creating sensational makeups for vast numbers of horror films, Savini was also an accomplished actor and stuntman, and has always been a fan favourite in the world of horror. |
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Rob Bottin
Rob Bottin was a creative force to be reckoned with in movies. He started his career very young, assisting Rick Baker on various projects. His first big solo project was The Howling (1981), which featured fantastically terrifying werewolves. Bottin’s most renowned work appeared in a film that initially flopped at the box office, but found its audience on home video, that being John Carpenter’s The Thing (1982). His work on this film remains one of the most highly praised examples of exemplary practical effects and prosthetic makeup, and marked the young artist as a true genius. He went on to create Tim Curry’s Devil character in Legend (1985) and the iconic Robocop (1987). |
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Stan Winston
Stan WInston grew from a modest TV and film makeup artist to one of Hollywood’s most ambitious and legendary artists. His early work on The Terminator (1985) made his name stand out to fans, but his work on Aliens (1986), Predator (1987), and Jurassic Park (1993) cemented his reputation as someone not afraid to take on big, challenging projects. Many of Winston’s designs featured clever monster costumes that hid the actor inside using stilts, extended anatomy, and even second actors strapped back-to-back inside the costume. His creativity, groundbreaking animatronics, and fine prosthetic works, earned him a reputation as one of the best in the business. |
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Steve Johnson
Steve Johnson began his career assisting Rick Baker and Rob Bottin on several movies, and in 1982 he was given the task of creating the Slimer in the original Ghostbusters. He established himself as a leading special makeup effects artist, and worked on Fright Night (1985), Species (1995) and Blade 2 (2002). |
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Christopher Tucker
Christopher Tucker trained as an opera singer in London but abandoned this to work in makeup. He did a small amount of work in Star Wars (1977) and various TV shows, but his work on the David Lynch film The Elephant Man (1980) was a hugely important moment in screen makeup. The life-like recreation of Joseph Merrick’s deformed face was innovative, and allowed a sensitive and dignified performance through a mass of grotesque prosthetic pieces. |
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Pierre-Olivier Persin
Pierre-Olivier Persin worked in many TV shows and film productions, but his work on The Substance (2024) was extremely noteworthy. In an era led by CGI, the practical makeup effects in this movie harked back to an older era, with incredible prosthetics, rubber body suits, and transformative makeups. Audiences appreciated the practical nature of the effects and fell in love with his wild creations. |
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Chris Walas
Chris Walas worked in films creating many memorable effects, including the melting face effect in Raiders of the Lost Arc (1981). He was responsible for creating the creatures in Gremlins (1984), a beloved film that still enjoys an active fandom, but his extensive makeup work on David Cronenberg’s The Fly (1986) was a particularly important moment in film makeup. |
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David B. Miller
David B. Miller isn’t one of the biggest stand-out names in movie makeup, but he has had a successful and long career working on movies such as Swamp Thing (1982), Beastmaster (1982), Naked Gun (1988) and Coneheads (1993). But he also created what many consider to be one of the most iconic makeups in the entire horror golden age, that being the original Freddy Krueger makeup from A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984). Miller returned to later Elm Street movies but his original work is still regarded as one of the most iconic of all time. |
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Kevin Yagher
Kevin Yagher’s career began with memorable works in Friday 13th The Final Chapter (1984) followed by A Nightmare on Elm Street 2 Freddy’s Revenge (1985). He continued working on Freddy makeups in future films, forming what is now the established look of the character. Yagher also worked on Child’s Play (1988), Hellraiser Bloodline (1996) and Hulk (2003). |
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KNB EFX
Greg Nicotero began his career with Tom Savini working on Day of the Dead (1985) where he met Howard Berger, a fellow makeup artist. In 1988 they teamed up with Robert Kurtzman and formed KNB EFX Group, a dedicated special effects studio that has worked on over 400 film and TV projects. These include Evil Dead II (1987), Misery (1990), From Dusk till Dawn (1996), and The Walking Dead TV shows. |
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Alec Gillis
Alec Gillis set up a special effects company called Amalgamated Dynamics with Tom Woodruff Jr and created some incredible work for Tremors (1990), Alien 3 (1992), and Hollow Man (2000). They also created a vast amount of practical effects for the 2011 version of The Thing but we disappointed by the studio decision to overlay their work with CGI, much to the dismay of film fans. |
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