Caramel Corn

Name
Rick Baker

Known For
Costume & Make-Up

Birthday
1950-12-08 (76 years old)

Place of Birth
Binghamton, New York, USA

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."

Known For

Movies

Tv Shows

2002 Men in Black II as MIB Passport Control Agent
1999 The 'Frankenstein' Files: How Hollywood Made a Monster as Self
1999 She's Alive! Creating 'The Bride of Frankenstein' as Self
1994 It's Alive: The True Story of Frankenstein as Self
1985 Into the Night as Drug Dealer
2017 Cult of Terror as Self - Make-up Designer
1972 The Thing with Two Heads as Gorilla
2010 The Wolf Man: From Ancient Curse to Modern Myth as Self
2000 Mummy Dearest: A Horror Tradition Unearthed as Self
2017 MonsterKids: The Impact of Things That Go Bump In The Night as Self
2006 The Sci-Fi Boys as Self
2008 RKO Production 601: The Making of “Kong, the Eighth Wonder of the World” as Self
2009 Beware the Moon: Remembering 'An American Werewolf in London' as Self
2024 Fear and Love: The Story of The Exorcist as Self
1983 Making Michael Jackson's Thriller as Self
1999 Monster by Moonlight! The Immortal Saga of 'The Wolf Man' as Self
2019 Tales Beyond Madness
2009 Monsterland as Self
2001 Planet of the Apes as Old Ape #2
2005 The Art of Imagination: A Tribute to Oz as Self
2008 He Who Made Monsters: The Life and Art of Jack Pierce as Self
1999 The Road to 'Dracula' as Self
2023 Old Time Radio: Your Move as The Caretaker
2010 Pure in Heart: The Life and Legacy of Lon Chaney, Jr. as Self
1986 King Kong! The Living Legend as Self / King Kong
1986 The Making of Captain EO as Self
2004 Videodrome: Forging the New Flesh as Self
2015 Creature Designers: The Frankenstein Complex as Self
1977 The Kentucky Fried Movie as Dino (segment "A.M. Today") (as Richard A. Baker)
2014 The Scanners Way: Creating the Special Effects in 'Scanners' as Himself
2016 Charlie Gemora: Uncredited as Himself
2006 Teddy Scares as Hester Golem (voice)
2009 I Walked with a Werewolf as Himself
2019 Making Apes: The Artists Who Changed Film as Self
2018 King Cohen: The Wild World of Filmmaker Larry Cohen as Self
1986 Fangoria's Weekend of Horrors as Self
2000 Metamorphosis of 'Men in Black' as Self
1976 King Kong as King Kong
1983 Michael Jackson's Thriller as Zombie Opening the Crypt (uncredited)
2017 The Beast Inside: Creating 'Wolf' as Rick Baker
2015 Birth Pains as himself
1981 The Incredible Shrinking Woman as Sidney
2018 Keep the Gaslight Burning as Mr Maxwell
2012 Men in Black 3 as Brain Alien
1982 The Making of David Cronenberg's Videodrome as Interviewee
1999 A Tribute to the Wizard of Oz as Himself
2013 House of Wax: Unlike Anything You've Seen Before! as Self
2004 Ed Wood: Making Bela as Self
2002 Rick Baker: Alien Maker as Self
1997 The Making of Men in Black as Self
2020 AGFA Mystery Mixtape #1 as Self
2006 Working with a Master: John Landis as Self
2005 The Perfect Scary Movie as Self
2000 How the Grinch Stole Christmas as Puppeteer
Soon Old Time Radio: Dance With Me as Caretaker
2010 The Wolfman as Gypsy Man / First Killed
1994 Masters of Illusion: The Wizards of Special Effects as Self
2020 The AGFA Mystery Mixtape Vault as (archive footage)
2025 V/H/S/Halloween as Rich (segment "Home Haunt")
2005 Ray Harryhausen: The Early Years Collection as Self
2025 Old Time Radio: The Specter of Christmas as The Caretaker
1973 The Night Turkey as Little Kathy's Date
2002 Men in Black II‎: Creature Featurettes as Self
2020 The Creeper: Rondo Hatton at Universal as Self
2026 Gremlins, an american nightmare! as Himself

2017 Face Off: Game Face ( 7 episodes ) as Self - Judge
2018 DC Daily ( 1 episode ) as Self
2011 Face Off ( 2 episodes ) as Guest Judge
2012 Unchained Reaction ( 6 episodes )

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