Rick Baker
Costume & Make-Up • Born 1950-12-08
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."
Filmography
66 credits
Men in Black II
Movie • 2002
MIB Passport Control Agent
The 'Frankenstein' Files: How Hollywood Made a Monster
Movie • 2002
Self
She's Alive! Creating 'The Bride of Frankenstein'
Movie • 1999
Self
It's Alive: The True Story of Frankenstein
Movie • 1994
Self
Into the Night
Movie • 1985
Drug Dealer
Cult of Terror
Movie • 2017
Self - Make-up Designer
The Thing with Two Heads
Movie • 1972
Gorilla
The Wolf Man: From Ancient Curse to Modern Myth
Movie • 2010
Self
Mummy Dearest: A Horror Tradition Unearthed
Movie • 2000
Self
MonsterKids: The Impact of Things That Go Bump In The Night
Movie • 2017
Self
The Sci-Fi Boys
Movie • 2006
Self
RKO Production 601: The Making of “Kong, the Eighth Wonder of the World”
Movie • 2008
Self
Beware the Moon: Remembering 'An American Werewolf in London'
Movie • 2009
Self
Fear and Love: The Story of The Exorcist
Movie • 2024
Self
Making Michael Jackson's Thriller
Movie • 1983
Self
Monster by Moonlight! The Immortal Saga of 'The Wolf Man'
Movie • 1999
Self
Tales Beyond Madness
Movie • 2019
Monsterland
Movie • 2009
Self
Planet of the Apes
Movie • 2001
Old Ape #2
The Art of Imagination: A Tribute to Oz
Movie • 2005
Self
He Who Made Monsters: The Life and Art of Jack Pierce
Movie • 2008
Self
The Road to 'Dracula'
Movie • 1999
Self
Old Time Radio: Your Move
Movie • 2023
The Caretaker
Pure in Heart: The Life and Legacy of Lon Chaney, Jr.
Movie • 2010
Self
King Kong! The Living Legend
Movie • 1986
Self / King Kong
The Making of Captain EO
Movie • 1986
Self
Videodrome: Forging the New Flesh
Movie • 2004
Self
Creature Designers: The Frankenstein Complex
Movie • 2015
Self
The Kentucky Fried Movie
Movie • 1977
Dino (segment "A.M. Today") (as Richard A. Baker)
The Scanners Way: Creating the Special Effects in 'Scanners'
Movie • 2014
Himself
Charlie Gemora: Uncredited
Movie • 2016
Himself
Teddy Scares
Movie • 2006
Hester Golem (voice)
I Walked with a Werewolf
Movie • 2009
Himself
Making Apes: The Artists Who Changed Film
Movie • 2019
Self
King Cohen: The Wild World of Filmmaker Larry Cohen
Movie • 2018
Self
Fangoria's Weekend of Horrors
Movie • 1986
Self
Metamorphosis of 'Men in Black'
Movie • 2000
Self
King Kong
Movie • 1976
King Kong
Michael Jackson's Thriller
Movie • 1983
Zombie Opening the Crypt (uncredited)
The Beast Inside: Creating 'Wolf'
Movie • 2017
Rick Baker
Birth Pains
Movie • 2015
himself
The Incredible Shrinking Woman
Movie • 1981
Sidney
Keep the Gaslight Burning
Movie • 2018
Mr Maxwell
Men in Black 3
Movie • 2012
Brain Alien
The Making of David Cronenberg's Videodrome
Movie • 1982
Interviewee
A Tribute to the Wizard of Oz
Movie • 1999
Himself
House of Wax: Unlike Anything You've Seen Before!
Movie • 2013
Self
Ed Wood: Making Bela
Movie • 2004
Self
Rick Baker: Alien Maker
Movie • 2002
Self
The Making of Men in Black
Movie • 1997
Self
AGFA Mystery Mixtape #1
Movie • 2020
Self
Working with a Master: John Landis
Movie • 2006
Self
The Perfect Scary Movie
Movie • 2005
Self
How the Grinch Stole Christmas
Movie • 2000
Puppeteer
Old Time Radio: Dance With Me
Movie
Caretaker
The Wolfman
Movie • 2010
Gypsy Man / First Killed
Masters of Illusion: The Wizards of Special Effects
Movie • 1994
Self
The AGFA Mystery Mixtape Vault
Movie • 2020
(archive footage)
V/H/S/Halloween
Movie • 2025
Rich (segment "Home Haunt")
Ray Harryhausen: The Early Years Collection
Movie • 2005
Self
Old Time Radio: The Specter of Christmas
Movie • 2025
The Caretaker
The Night Turkey
Movie • 1973
Little Kathy's Date
Face Off: Game Face
TV • 2017
Self - Judge
DC Daily
TV • 2018
Self
Face Off
TV • 2011
Guest Judge
Unchained Reaction
TV • 2012