RIP Legendary Makeup Artist Dick Smith 1922-2014

Smith was an Academy Award-winning make-up artist who is best known for The Exorcist, but has contributed to films like The GodfatherLittle Big Man, Taxi DriverAmadeus 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.

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