It was with great sadness that on July 30, the Makeup community said goodbye to a giant. Richard Emerson “Dick” Smith passed away at the age of 92.
For those reading this who might not know, Dick Smith was considered the Godfather, the Dean of Makeup Artists.
He was a legend in the industry not only for the characters he created for films such as “The Exorcist”, “Amadeus” and others, but also for the countless technical innovations he brought to the craft. Just as remarkable as all of that was Mr. Smith’s willingness to share his boundless knowledge with anyone who asked. In a time of people hording makeup information like state secrets in order to gain a leg up on the competition, Mr. Smith was like an open book. He always felt that the exchange of knowledge was the key to evolving the art of makeup. He was an inspiration to generations of Makeup and Special Makeup Effects Artists, including “yours truly”!Dick Smith lived a full 92 years. I had to honor that, and his effect on my life, in the only way I knew how. In searching for an appropriate reference from which to paint, I chose a photo from his post retirement years. That is because this is the Dick Smith I “knew”. This was the Dick Smith I got to meet, if only for a quick 2 to 3 minute chat while I was at K.N.B. EFX Group. This was the man who, despite no longer working on film projects, was still regularly coming out to visit the shops to study up on what others were creating for the industry. This was the man who was still passing on his vast experience to others through lectures and his correspondence course. This man was an example to all of how to live a life.
Thank you, Mr. Smith, for all that you have done, and continue to do, for us.
RIP Dick Smith
