Rick Baker
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."
Men in Black II
(MIB Passport Control Agent)
The 'Frankenstein' Files: How Hollywood Made a Monster
(Self)
She's Alive! Creating 'The Bride of Frankenstein'
(Self)
It's Alive: The True Story of Frankenstein
(Self)
Into the Night
(Drug Dealer)
Cult of Terror
(Self - Make-up Designer)
The Thing with Two Heads
(Gorilla)
The Wolf Man: From Ancient Curse to Modern Myth
(Self)
Mummy Dearest: A Horror Tradition Unearthed
(Self)
MonsterKids: The Impact of Things That Go Bump In The Night
(Self)
The Sci-Fi Boys
(Self)
RKO Production 601: The Making of 'Kong, the Eighth Wonder of the World'
Beware the Moon: Remembering 'An American Werewolf in London'
(Self)
Fear and Love: The Story of The Exorcist
(Himself)
Making Michael Jackson's Thriller
(Self)
Monster by Moonlight! The Immortal Saga of 'The Wolf Man'
(Self)
Tales Beyond Madness
Monsterland
(Self)
Planet of the Apes
(Old Ape #2)
The Art of Imagination: A Tribute to Oz
(Self)
He Who Made Monsters: The Life and Art of Jack Pierce
(Self)
The Road to 'Dracula'
(Self)
Old Time Radio: Your Move
(The Caretaker)
Pure in Heart: The Life and Legacy of Lon Chaney, Jr.
(Self)
King Kong! The Living Legend
(Self / King Kong)
The Making of Captain EO
(Self)
Videodrome: Forging the New Flesh
(Self)
Creature Designers: The Frankenstein Complex
(Self)
The Kentucky Fried Movie
(Dino (segment "A.M. Today") (as Richard A. Baker))
The Scanners Way: Creating the Special Effects in 'Scanners'
(Himself)
Charlie Gemora: Uncredited
(Himself)
Teddy Scares
(Hester Golem (voice))
I Walked with a Werewolf
(Himself)
Making Apes: The Artists Who Changed Film
(Self)
King Cohen: The Wild World of Filmmaker Larry Cohen
(Self)
Fangoria's Weekend of Horrors
(Self)
Metamorphosis of 'Men in Black'
(Self)
King Kong
(King Kong)
Michael Jackson's Thriller
(Zombie Opening the Crypt (uncredited))
The Beast Inside: Creating 'Wolf'
(Rick Baker)
Birth Pains
(himself)
The Incredible Shrinking Woman
(Sidney)
Keep the Gaslight Burning
(Mr Maxwell)
Men in Black 3
(Brain Alien)
The Making of David Cronenberg's Videodrome
(Interviewee)
A Tribute to the Wizard of Oz
(Himself)
House of Wax: Unlike Anything You've Seen Before!
(Self)
Ed Wood: Making Bela
(Self)
Rick Baker: Alien Maker
(Self)
The Making of Men in Black
(Self)
AGFA MYSTERY MIXTAPE #1
(Self)
Working with a Master: John Landis
(Self)
The Perfect Scary Movie
(Self)
How the Grinch Stole Christmas
(Puppeteer)
Dance With Me
(Caretaker)
The Wolfman
(Gypsy Man / First Killed)
Masters of Illusion: The Wizards of Special Effects
(Self)
Face Off: Game Face
(Self - Judge)
DC Daily
(Self)
Face Off
(Guest Judge)
Unchained Reaction
Gremlins 2: The New Batch
(Special Effects)
An American Werewolf in London
(Makeup Effects)
Mighty Joe Young
(Special Effects)
It Lives Again
(Makeup Effects)
The Thing with Two Heads
(Special Effects)
Click
(Special Effects Makeup Artist)
Ghosts
(Makeup Effects)
Cursed
(Special Effects Makeup Artist)
Schlock
(Makeup Artist)
Octaman
(Costume Design)
The Howling
(Special Effects Makeup Artist)
Bone
(Makeup Designer)
Gremlins 2: The New Batch
(Special Effects Supervisor)
Gremlins 2: The New Batch
(Creature Design)
Planet of the Apes
(Makeup Effects Designer)
Tanya's Island
(Special Effects)
The Amazing Panda Adventure
(Special Effects)
Max My Love
(Makeup Effects Designer)
The Funhouse
(Special Effects Makeup Artist)
Ed Wood
(Makeup Designer)
Black Caesar
(Special Effects)
Black Caesar
(Makeup Designer)
Enchanted
(Special Effects Makeup Artist)
The Ring
(Makeup Effects)
Matinee
(Makeup Effects)
Bone
(Special Effects)
The Fury
(Makeup Effects)
Squirm
(Makeup Designer)
Schlock
(Special Effects)
Coming to America
(Makeup Effects)
Track of the Moon Beast
(Makeup Artist)
Videodrome
(Makeup Effects Designer)
Silver Bullet
(Visual Effects)
Maleficent
(Makeup Artist)
Altered States
(Special Effects Makeup Artist)
The Wolfman
(Makeup Effects Designer)
Skinned Deep
(Thanks)
The Wolfman
(Special Effects Makeup Artist)
Ghost Story
(Special Effects Makeup Artist)
Norbit
(Makeup Artist)
How the Grinch Stole Christmas
(Makeup Effects Designer)
The Exorcist
(Special Effects Assistant)
Wild Wild West
(Makeup Effects Designer)
Michael Jackson's Thriller
(Makeup Effects Designer)
The Nutty Professor
(Makeup Effects Designer)
Nutty Professor II: The Klumps
(Special Effects Makeup Artist)
Cop Killers
(Makeup Artist)
My Science Project
(Makeup Artist)
Dark Avenger
(Makeup Artist)
Body Bags
(Makeup Artist)
Wolf
(Makeup Artist)
Mighty Joe Young
(Makeup Artist)
Men in Black 3
(Makeup Artist)
It Lives Again
(Makeup Artist)
Altered States
(Makeup Artist)
Gorillas in the Mist
(Makeup Artist)
The Ring
(Makeup Artist)
Summer School
(Makeup Artist)
Men in Black
(Makeup Artist)
An American Christmas Carol
(Makeup Artist)
Baby's Day Out
(Makeup Artist)
King Kong
(Makeup Artist)
The Fury
(Makeup Artist)
The Frighteners
(Makeup Artist)
Psycho
(Makeup Artist)
Captain EO
(Makeup Artist)
Harry and the Hendersons
(Makeup Artist)
The Rocketeer
(Makeup Artist)
Zebra Force
(Makeup Artist)
The Empire Strikes Back
(Makeup Artist)
Coming to America
(Makeup Artist)
The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman
(Makeup Artist)
Batman Forever
(Makeup Artist)
Men in Black II
(Makeup Artist)
TRON: Legacy
(Makeup Artist)
Black Caesar
(Makeup Artist)
Ratboy
(Makeup Artist)
The Incredible Melting Man
(Makeup Artist)
The Incredible Shrinking Woman
(Makeup Artist)
Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes
(Makeup Artist)
Star Wars
(Makeup Artist)
Missing Link
(Makeup Artist)
Ghosts
(Makeup Artist)
An American Werewolf in London
(Makeup Artist)
Ghost Story
(Makeup Artist)
Matinee
(Makeup Artist)
Escape from L.A.
(Makeup Artist)
It's Alive
(Special Effects Makeup Artist)
It's Alive
(Makeup Artist)
Gremlins 2: The New Batch
(Co-Producer)