Widely regarded as the ‘godfather’ of modern makeup effects, Dick Smith’s extensive career covers such cinematic classics as Little Big Man, The Exorcist, Altered States, Taxi Driver, The Godfather, Midnight Cowboy, Starman, Scanners and Ghost Story. As well as an Emmy, a BAFTA and two Saturn Awards, Smith earned an Oscar in 1985 for his stunning aging makeup on F. Murray Abraham in Amadeus, and an Honorary Oscar in 2011.
Left: Front cover art by Paul Garner, © Paul Garner Monster Art. Back cover illustration by Douglas Smith, © Douglas Smith. Below: F. Murray Abraham in Smith’s Salieri makeup for Amadeus (1984). Photo ©1983, The Sal Zaentz Company.
Dick Smith: The Godfather of Makeup examines Smith’s life and career, from his early student makeups created as a prankster at Yale, to his tenure as NBC’s first makeup department head during the era of live television, and finally his decades-long freelance career. In addition to extensive first-hand conversations with Smith himself, the book interviews dozens of friends, family, and co-workers, and is accompanied by hundreds of rare images, many from Smith’s own archives.
The book features a wonderful collection of images including many from Dick’s own childhood, as well as family life with his wife Lyn and young sons David and Douglas, who kindly supplied a lot of information and photos. The mid-section shows original script pages from The Exorcist (1973) with Polaroids of the makeups on the relevant pages, alongside Smith’s application continuity notes, as was common practice at the time.
Right: Smith ageing Dustin Hoffman 90 years for his role as 121-year-old Jack Crabb in Little Big Man, (1970). Image courtesy of Peter Montagna. Top of page/below: Makeup tests and possessed Regan MacNeill dummy head from The Exorcist (1973), images courtesy of David Smith.
Aside from his own long career, Smith devoted a huge part of his life to mentoring and advising young makeup artists. Contrary to the often-secretive nature of his trade at the time, he shared information willingly, first with his 1965 Dick Smith’s Do-It-Yourself Monster Make-Up Handbook, and later, his Basic and Advanced Professional Makeup Course, the recipients of which include numerous Oscar nominees and winners.
Left: Oscar winner Guillermo del Toro, whose early passion for makeup effects led him to Dick Smith’s mentorship, with a tribute bust of Smith created by Oscar winner Kazuhiro Tsuiji, another famous protégé of Smith’s. Image courtesy of Kazuhiro Tsuiji.
“Dick did amazing things for our craft, and without a doubt he has inscribed his name permanently and historically… “ Guillermo del Toro (director, Hellboy, The Shape of Water)
“I will forever be endlessly grateful to Dick Smith for the jaw-dropping illusions he created decades before digital effects were even a possibility…” J.J. Abrams (writer/director/producer, Lost, Super 8, Cloverfield)
Image: Taxi Driver (1976), photo courtesy of David Smith
Entertainment journalist Joe Nazzaro has been covering film and television makeup for nearly four decades. In addition to a 20-year stint on Makeup Artist, he also helped launch the critically acclaimed Prosthetics Magazine in 2015. He’s written countless magazine articles on the subject, as well as several makeup-related books, including Star Trek and Farscape.
Portrait by Ben Bentley.
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DICK SMITH: THE GODFATHER OF MAKEUP
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