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. On October 3, 2009, he received the Jack Pierce – Lifetime Achievement Award title of the Chiller-Eyegore Awards.
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."
Filmography
all 127
Movies 120
self 49
TV Shows 7
Fear and Love: The Story of The Exorcist (2024)
Old Time Radio: Your Move (2023)
AGFA MYSTERY MIXTAPE #1 (2020)
Tales Beyond Madness (2019)
Making Apes: The Artists Who Changed Film (2019)
Keep the Gaslight Burning (2018)
DC Daily (2018)
King Cohen: The Wild World of Filmmaker Larry Cohen (2018)
The Beast Inside: Creating 'Wolf' (2017)
Cult of Terror (2017)
MonsterKids: The Impact of Things That Go Bump In The Night (2017)
Face Off: Game Face (2017)
Charlie Gemora: Uncredited (2016)
Creature Designers: The Frankenstein Complex (2015)
Birth Pains (2015)
The Scanners Way: Creating the Special Effects in 'Scanners' (2014)
Maleficent (2014)
House of Wax: Unlike Anything You've Seen Before! (2013)
Men in Black 3 (2012)
Unchained Reaction (2012)
Beast Wishes: The Fantastic World of Bob and Kathy Burns (2012)
Face Off (2011)
TRON: Legacy (2010)
The Wolfman (2010)
The Wolf Man: From Ancient Curse to Modern Myth (2010)
Pure in Heart: The Life and Legacy of Lon Chaney, Jr. (2010)
I Walked with a Werewolf (2009)
Beware the Moon: Remembering 'An American Werewolf in London' (2009)
Monsterland (2009)
He Who Made Monsters: The Life and Art of Jack Pierce (2008)
Enchanted (2007)
Norbit (2007)
Teddy Scares (2006)
Working with a Master: John Landis (2006)
Click (2006)
The Sci-Fi Boys (2006)
RKO Production 601: The Making of 'Kong, the Eighth Wonder of the World' (2005)
The Perfect Scary Movie (2005)
The Art of Imagination: A Tribute to Oz (2005)
Cursed (2005)
Ray Harryhausen: The Early Years Collection (2005)
Ed Wood: Making Bela (2004)
Videodrome: Forging the New Flesh (2004)
The 50 Worst Movies Ever Made (2004)
100 Greatest Scary Moments (2003)
Rick Baker: Alien Maker (2002)
The 'Frankenstein' Files: How Hollywood Made a Monster (2002)
The Ring (2002)
Men in Black II (2002)
Planet of the Apes (2001)
How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000)
Metamorphosis of 'Men in Black' (2000)
Mummy Dearest: A Horror Tradition Unearthed (2000)
Nutty Professor II: The Klumps (2000)
The Road to 'Dracula' (1999)
Wild Wild West (1999)
Monster by Moonlight! The Immortal Saga of 'The Wolf Man' (1999)
A Tribute to the Wizard of Oz (1999)
She's Alive! Creating 'The Bride of Frankenstein' (1999)
Mighty Joe Young (1998)
Psycho (1998)
The Making of Men in Black (1997)
Ghosts (1997)
Men in Black (1997)
Area 51: The Alien Interview (1997)
Escape from L.A. (1996)
The Frighteners (1996)
The Nutty Professor (1996)
The Amazing Panda Adventure (1995)
Batman Forever (1995)
It's Alive: The True Story of Frankenstein (1994)
Ed Wood (1994)
Baby's Day Out (1994)
Movie Magic (1994)
Wolf (1994)
Body Bags (1993)
Matinee (1993)
Heartstoppers: Horror at the Movies (1992)
The Rocketeer (1991)
Dark Avenger (1990)
The Horror Hall of Fame (1990)
Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990)
Missing Link (1988)
Gorillas in the Mist (1988)
Coming to America (1988)
Summer School (1987)
Harry and the Hendersons (1987)
Max My Love (1986)
Ratboy (1986)
Captain EO (1986)
The Making of Captain EO (1986)
King Kong! The Living Legend (1986)
Fangoria's Weekend of Horrors (1986)
My Science Project (1985)
Into the Night (1985)
Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes (1984)
Making Michael Jackson's Thriller (1983)
Michael Jackson's Thriller (1983)
Videodrome (1983)
The Making of David Cronenberg's Videodrome (1982)
Ghost Story (1981)
An American Werewolf in London (1981)
The Funhouse (1981)
The Incredible Shrinking Woman (1981)
The Howling (1981)
Altered States (1980)
Tanya's Island (1980)
The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
An American Christmas Carol (1979)
It Lives Again (1978)
The Fury (1978)
The Incredible Melting Man (1977)
The Kentucky Fried Movie (1977)
Star Wars (1977)
Cop Killers (1977)
King Kong (1976)
Squirm (1976)
Track of the Moon Beast (1976)
Zebra Force (1976)
It's Alive (1974)
The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman (1974)
The Exorcist (1973)
Schlock (1973)
Black Caesar (1973)
The Thing with Two Heads (1972)
Bone (1972)
Octaman (1971)
Ratings
Gallery
Information
Known ForCostume & Make-Up
GenderMale
Birthday1950-12-08 (73 years old)
Birth PlaceBinghamton, United States of America
CitizenshipsUnited States of America
Also Known AsRichard A. Baker, Richard Baker
Awardsstar on Hollywood Walk of Fame, Academy Award for Best Makeup and Hairstyling, Emmy Award
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