Rick Baker
Costume & Make-Up
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."
Michael Jackson's Thriller
as Zombie Opening the Crypt (uncredited)
Age 32 (now 75)
The Kentucky Fried Movie
as Dino (segment "A.M. Today") (as Richard A. Baker)
Age 26 (now 75)
Old Time Radio: The Specter of Christmas
as The Caretaker
Age 74 (now 75)
Fear and Love: The Story of The Exorcist
as Self
Age 73 (now 75)
The AGFA Mystery Mixtape Vault
as (archive footage)
Age 69 (now 75)
Making Apes: The Artists Who Changed Film
as Self
Age 68 (now 75)
King Cohen: The Wild World of Filmmaker Larry Cohen
as Self
Age 67 (now 75)
The Beast Inside: Creating 'Wolf'
as Rick Baker
Age 66 (now 75)
MonsterKids: The Impact of Things That Go Bump In The Night
as Self
Age 66 (now 75)
Creature Designers: The Frankenstein Complex
as Self
Age 64 (now 75)
The Scanners Way: Creating the Special Effects in 'Scanners'
as Himself
Age 63 (now 75)
House of Wax: Unlike Anything You've Seen Before!
as Self
Age 62 (now 75)
Men in Black II: Creature Featurettes
as Self
Age 61 (now 75)
Pure in Heart: The Life and Legacy of Lon Chaney, Jr.
as Self
Age 59 (now 75)
The Wolf Man: From Ancient Curse to Modern Myth
as Self
Age 59 (now 75)
Beware the Moon: Remembering 'An American Werewolf in London'
as Self
Age 58 (now 75)
RKO Production 601: The Making of “Kong, the Eighth Wonder of the World”
as Self
Age 57 (now 75)
He Who Made Monsters: The Life and Art of Jack Pierce
as Self
Age 57 (now 75)
The Art of Imagination: A Tribute to Oz
as Self
Age 54 (now 75)
Ray Harryhausen: The Early Years Collection
as Self
Age 54 (now 75)
Videodrome: Forging the New Flesh
as Self
Age 53 (now 75)
How the Grinch Stole Christmas
Makeup Effects Designer
Age 49 (now 75)
Mummy Dearest: A Horror Tradition Unearthed
as Self
Age 49 (now 75)
Nutty Professor II: The Klumps
Special Effects Makeup Artist
Age 49 (now 75)
Monster by Moonlight! The Immortal Saga of 'The Wolf Man'
as Self
Age 48 (now 75)
The 'Frankenstein' Files: How Hollywood Made a Monster
as Self
Age 48 (now 75)
She's Alive! Creating 'The Bride of Frankenstein'
as Self
Age 48 (now 75)
It's Alive: The True Story of Frankenstein
as Self
Age 43 (now 75)
Masters of Illusion: The Wizards of Special Effects
as Self
Age 43 (now 75)
Gremlins 2: The New Batch
Special Effects Supervisor
Age 39 (now 75)
King Kong! The Living Legend
as Self / King Kong
Age 35 (now 75)
Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes
Special Effects Makeup Artist
Age 33 (now 75) Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes
Makeup Artist
Age 33 (now 75) Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes
Creature Design
Age 33 (now 75)
Making Michael Jackson's Thriller
as Self
Age 33 (now 75) Michael Jackson's Thriller
Makeup Effects Designer
Age 32 (now 75) Michael Jackson's Thriller
as Zombie Opening the Crypt (uncredited)
Age 32 (now 75)
The Making of David Cronenberg's Videodrome
as Interviewee
Age 32 (now 75)
An American Werewolf in London
Makeup Artist
Age 30 (now 75) An American Werewolf in London
Makeup Effects
Age 30 (now 75)
The Incredible Shrinking Woman
Makeup Artist
Age 30 (now 75)
The Kentucky Fried Movie
as Dino (segment "A.M. Today") (as Richard A. Baker)
Age 26 (now 75)
The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman
Makeup Artist
Age 23 (now 75)
Gathering insights...
Also Known As
Richard A. Baker, Richard Baker
IMDB
nm0000711