
Rick Baker
Biography
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."
Acting (53 movies)

Men in Black II
2002

The 'Frankenstein' Files: How Hollywood Made a Monster
2002

She's Alive! Creating 'The Bride of Frankenstein'
1999

It's Alive: The True Story of Frankenstein
1994

Into the Night
1985

Cult of Terror
2017

The Thing with Two Heads
1972

The Wolf Man: From Ancient Curse to Modern Myth
2010

Mummy Dearest: A Horror Tradition Unearthed
2000

MonsterKids: The Impact of Things That Go Bump In The Night
2017

The Sci-Fi Boys
2006

RKO Production 601: The Making of “Kong, the Eighth Wonder of the World”
2008

Beware the Moon: Remembering 'An American Werewolf in London'
2009

Fear and Love: The Story of The Exorcist
2024

Making Michael Jackson's Thriller
1983

Monster by Moonlight! The Immortal Saga of 'The Wolf Man'
1999

Tales Beyond Madness
2019

Monsterland
2009

Planet of the Apes
2001

The Art of Imagination: A Tribute to Oz
2005

He Who Made Monsters: The Life and Art of Jack Pierce
2008

The Road to 'Dracula'
1999

Pure in Heart: The Life and Legacy of Lon Chaney, Jr.
2010

The Making of Captain EO
1986

Videodrome: Forging the New Flesh
2004

Creature Designers: The Frankenstein Complex
2015

The Kentucky Fried Movie
1977

Charlie Gemora: Uncredited
2016

Making Apes: The Artists Who Changed Film
2019

King Cohen: The Wild World of Filmmaker Larry Cohen
2018

Fangoria's Weekend of Horrors
1986

Metamorphosis of 'Men in Black'
2000

King Kong
1976

Michael Jackson's Thriller
1983

The Beast Inside: Creating 'Wolf'
2017

Birth Pains
2015

The Incredible Shrinking Woman
1981

Men in Black 3
2012

Keep the Gaslight Burning
2018

The Making of David Cronenberg's Videodrome
1982

A Tribute to the Wizard of Oz
1999

House of Wax: Unlike Anything You've Seen Before!
2013

Ed Wood: Making Bela
2004

Rick Baker: Alien Maker
2002

The Making of Men in Black
1997

AGFA Mystery Mixtape #1
2020

Working with a Master: John Landis
2006

The Perfect Scary Movie
2005

How the Grinch Stole Christmas
2000

The Wolfman
2010

Masters of Illusion: The Wizards of Special Effects
1994

The AGFA Mystery Mixtape Vault
2020

V/H/S/Halloween
2025
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