Smith was an Academy Award-winning make-up artist who is best known for The Exorcist, but has contributed to films like The Godfather, Little Big Man, Taxi Driver, Amadeus and Ghost Story. For those who aspired to be a make-up artist at one time or another (and either followed through with it or didn’t – I fell into that latter category), Smith’s story is well-known.
This New York native went to school thinking he was going to be a dentist, but then he discovered the art of make-up. The rest is history.
He inspired many FX artists throughout the decades, including Rick Baker – who provided an introduction for the book “Dick Smith’s Do-It-Yourself Monster Make-Up” (seen right), a book I think we’ve all picked up at a horror movie convention at some point.
Smith’s work, needless to say, was phenomenal and I’ll use The Exorcist as an example. The first time I saw that film, I thought Max Von Sydow was an old man – he was just in his 40s! (Smith’s creations for Ghost Story and Altered States terrified the hell out of me as well, I should note.)
His last actual credit may have 1999’s House on Haunted Hill remake, but Smith remained a fixture in the make-up FX biz, overseeing his make-up training program.
Smith will most certainly be missed.
