In Memory of Dick Smith

(June 26, 1922 - July 30, 2014)

"There’s never going to be another Dick Smith. 
Dick is, without a doubt, the greatest makeup artist who’s ever going to live."   
- Rick Baker

Dick Smith, a visionary pioneer of prosthetic theatrical make-up effects often called the "godfather of make-up" passed away just a few weeks ago.

Smith, born in New York, attended Yale University studying to become a dentist.  Smith stumbled upon a book on theatrical make-up that piqued his interest so much that he began practicing in his spare time, emulating classic movie monster make-ups and volunteering his services to theatrical actors in local productions.  Shortly after his graduation, he enlisted in the military and served during World War II.

Dick Smith working on The Exorcist

After the war, Smith was having a hard time decided what he wanted to do with his life.  He was uncertain in his desire to become a dentist, but still had yearning to do make-up which, before the war, had been little more than a hobby.  He ultimately decided to pursue his passion and become a make-up artist.  Unfortunately, his wok was rejected by the film industry.  Smith's father presented him with the idea of working in television, which was still in its infancy at the time.  In those days, there was no such thing as a full-time make-up artist, but Smith did such great work that he was given continual work in television through NBC.

A dummy head created for a 1961 production of The Picture of Dorian Gray

Facing budget constraints and frustrated with the limitations of conventional techniques, Smith developed his own methods in his basement.  His pioneering techniques included innovations in foam latex prosthetic face masks.  These were normally made in just one piece and limited the amount of facial expression of the actors beneath the make-up. Smith's method involved the creation of three cohesively layered pieces that allowed for greater expression and realism.  To achieve additional realism, Smith relied on a collection of photographic references that he would use as inspiration throughout his career.  Smith continued working in television for around two decades, doing make-up work for genre shows such as Way Out (a Twilight Zone-esque anthology show), Dark Shadows, and a TV movie adaptation of The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

A sampling of Smith's make-up work for Way Out, Dark Shadows, and North and South

It was in the 70's that Smith finally achieved his dream of creating make-ups for the movies such as Midnight Cowboy and House of Dark Shadows.  One of his early achievements was producing an old age make-up for Dustin Hoffman for the film Little Big Man.  Modern make-up artists still struggle to make convincing old age make-ups, but, ever the pioneer, Smith proved that he was up to the challenge.

Dustin Hoffman in Little Big Man

Another milestone in Smith's career was his work on The Godfather.  Once again, Smith pioneered new techniques.  He applied a simplified old age make-up to Marlon Brando when the actor refused to wear the appliances normally used to achieve the effect.  Additionally, Smith created the first bleeding make-up effect utilizing bladders and squibs tucked underneath foam latex appliances to produce a shockingly convincing head-shot scene.

Before and after shots Marlon Brando with a minimalist old age make-up created and applied by Dick Smith

Probably Smith's most famous and memorable work was created for the landmark horror film, The Exorcist.  For this film, Smith further blended special effects and his realistic make-ups, pushing his abilities to their limits.  Smith had just three months to develop not only demonic make-ups, but also old age make-ups and a variety of prosthetics integrated with special effects.  Working with just one assistant - Rick Baker, who would go on to his own illustrious career in make-up effects - Smith created some of his best work. Most notable are the scenes in which welts appearing on Linda Blair's stomach, the extreme vomiting effect, and the infamous head-spinning dummy.

The dummy used to create the disturbing spinning head scene

Smith would go on to work on numerous films and even win an Academy Award for Best Make-up for his amazing old age make-up in Amadeus.  In 2011 he was the first make-up artist to be awarded with the Academy Honorary Award.

Life sized puppets created for Ghost Story

Smith influenced countless young make-up artists with his work in television and film, but perhaps his most enduring contribution to his craft was sharing his secrets.  While many make-up artists were reluctant to share their techniques, Smith put forth efforts throughout his career to educate aspiring artists through publications and training courses.

A 1965 special edition of Famous Monsters of Filmland featured instructional guides by Dick Smith

It is certain that Dick Smith's legacy will endure and continue to inspire monster makers for generations to come.  You can find more information about Smith's career and his training program at http://www.dicksmithmake-up.com/

Creature Actor Doug Jones

If you've viewed any Science Fiction, Fantasy, or Horror films in recent years you may never have even heard the name "Doug Jones".  However, you've probably seen him in action and didn't even realize it.  Doug Jones is a creature actor who usually portrays a variety of monsters, ghosts, and other inhabitants of the underworld.

... And a pretty awesome human being.

Jones' slender physique allows him to play virtually any creature, allowing artists to create nearly any form around him without allowing them to become bulky and unrealistic.  He began his career in entertainment as mime and contortionist.  Those early experiences certainly pay off.  Despite being covered in layers of prosthetics and makeup, Jones is able to make the creatures he portrays on the screen come alive and become more than just a mere part of the scenery.  While most creature actors are stiff in their performances, Jones knows the limitations of the make-up and isn't afraid to create more fully fleshed-out characters through his pantomime expressions.

Remember these creeps from the Buffy the Vampire Slayer episode "Hush"?  Doug Jones is the gentleman in the front.

Abe Sapien from Hellboy

The Silver Surfer from the Fantastic Four sequel

The terrifying "Pale Man" in Pan's Labyrinth 

The Pale Man strikes!

El Fauno (The Faun) from Pan's Labyrinth

An interesting factoid:  Jones plays El Fauno (The Fuan) in Pan's Labyrinth.  It took 5 hours for artists to apply the prosthetic make-up.  Apparently, he could only see through the make-up's nose holes while playing the character.  The facial expressions of El Fauno were created using remote controlled mechanisms within the make-up.  The noises made by the mechanisms were very loud, so loud in fact that Jones couldn't hear the other actor he was to share scenes with.  In order to interact appropriately with the other actor, he had to memorize her lines in addition to his own.  An additional challenge was that Jones had to say his lines in Spanish (a language he does not speak) so that when his performance was overdubbed later by the character's voice actor their performances would match up correctly.  So...  not only did the poor guy have to endure hours of wearing uncomfortable make-up and prosthetics, but he also had to act while not being able to see or hear while speaking in a foreign language!  What a guy!

Goofing off behind the scenes... of Pan's Labyrinth 

Abe Sapien again in Hellboy:  The Golden Army

In the first Hellboy film, Jones played the character of Abe Sapien physically, but the character's voice was provided by David Hyde Pierce of Frasier fame.  When Pierce didn't return for the second Hellboy movie, Jones stepped in and now also supplies the fish man's voice in the Hellboy animated series.

The Angel of Death from Hellboy:  The Golden Army

I was fortunate enough to meet Mr. Jones at a convention just a year or so ago.  Even though I had seen him in behind the scenes footage of his various films I was taken aback by just how tall and slender he is (and not simply because of my own hobbit-like stature).  More importantly, I was pleasantly surprised at just how jovial Jones is.  He took the time to talk to every fan, was more than willing to pose with them for pictures (he jumped on one guys back for a photo op), and embraced them in a warm hug as if he knew them his whole life.  It's very refreshing to meet an artist who genuinely enjoys what he does and is so appreciative of his fan base.

On permanent display in the Cryptic Corridor...

The man...  The myth...  The legend.  (No, not me)

You can find more information about the actor and his films on his website:  http://www.thedougjonesexperience.com/