Hello again!
As we enter the final stretch of 2012 (Can you believe it?), I thought I would point out a really nice thing that happened recently.
As I have been a practitioner of Special Make-up Effects, it should come as no surprise to anyone reading this that Rick Baker is one of my artistic idols. His work is at the top of a long list of folks who helped point me towards this most curious career path. Long considered one of the best make-up artists in the business, Mr. Baker has designed and created characters for some of the most memorable genre films of the last three decades such as “Greystoke”, “Harry and the Hendersons”, “Gorillas in the Mist”, Michael Jackson’s “Thriller”, “The Nutty Professor” films, and of course, “An American Werewolf in London”. It was this last one which made the biggest impression on my young film-going psyche. Coincidentally, “Werewolf” was the film for which he received the very first official Academy Award for Best Make-up.
Since then, Rick Baker has received six more Academy Awards, as well as a slew of nominations and other awards. Well, now he can add another to the list. This past Friday, he was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Despite the rain, a large number of Hollywood producers, directors and actors turned out to honor the man and his body of work. There were also a large number of effects professionals in attendance, including Mr. Baker’s mentor, the legendary Dick Smith. Since I was working on his likeness for a potential future project anyway, I thought I would mark the occasion in my own manner.
I present “Rick’s Star”.
Congratulations Rick!
-Mark