Richard A. Baker

Richard A. "Rick" Baker (born December 8, 1950 in Binghamton, New York, U.S.) is a Hollywood special makeup effects artist known for his realistic creature effects. He is the winner of 6 Academy Awards for Best Makeup.

As a teen, Baker began creating artificial body parts in his own kitchen. ^[1] Baker's first professional job was as an assistant to Dick Smith on the film The Exorcist. ^[2]

The first Academy Award for Best Make-Up was awarded to Baker for his work on An American Werewolf in London. ^[3]

Baker claims that his work on Harry and the Hendersons is one of his proudest achievements. ^[4]

Partial filmography

• The Thing with Two Heads (1972)
• It's Alive (1974)
• The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman (1974)
• King Kong (1976)
• The Incredible Melting Man (1977)
• Star Wars (1977)
• An American Werewolf in London (1981)
• Videodrome (1983)
• Thriller (music video) (1984)
• Harry and the Hendersons (1987)
• Beauty and the Beast (1987 - 9)
• Coming To America (1988)
• Gorillas in the Mist (1988)
• Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990)
• The Rocketeer (1991)
• both Men in Black movies (1997 and 2002)
• both of Eddie Murphy's The Nutty Professor movies (1996 and 2000)
• How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000)
• Planet of the Apes (2001)
• The Ring (2002)
• The Haunted Mansion (2003)
• Hellboy (2004).

Awards

• Inducted to the Monster Kid Hall Of Fame at The Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Awards
• Academy Award, Best Makeup Effects
  • An American Werewolf in London, 1981 (First year of the award)
  • Harry and the Hendersons, 1988
  • Ed Wood, 1995
  • The Nutty Professor, 1997
  • Men in Black, 1998
  • Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas, 2001

See also

• Prosthetic makeup
• Special effect

References

External links

• Rick Baker at the Internet Movie Database

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