Rick Baker
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 · 64
How the Grinch Stole Christmas
2000 · Puppeteer
Men in Black II
2002 · MIB Passport Control A...
Men in Black 3
2012 · Brain Alien
Face Off
2011 · Guest Judge
Michael Jackson's Thriller
1983 · Zombie Opening the Cry...
Planet of the Apes
2001 · Old Ape #2
The Wolfman
2010 · Gypsy Man / First Kill...
King Kong
1976 · King Kong
V/H/S/Halloween
2025 · Rich (segment "Home Ha...
Into the Night
1985 · Drug Dealer
The Kentucky Fried Movie
1977 · Dino (segment "A.M. To...
DC Daily
2018 · Self
Masters of Illusion: The Wizards of Special Effects
1994 · Self
The Incredible Shrinking Woman
1981 · Sidney
The AGFA Mystery Mixtape Vault
2020 · (archive footage)
Birth Pains
2015 · himself
Ray Harryhausen: The Early Years Collection
2005 · Self
The Perfect Scary Movie
2005 · Self
The Making of David Cronenberg's Videodrome
1982 · Interviewee
Metamorphosis of 'Men in Black'
2000 · Self
Fangoria's Weekend of Horrors
1986 · Self
He Who Made Monsters: The Life and Art of Jack Pierce
2008 · Self
King Cohen: The Wild World of Filmmaker Larry Cohen
2018 · Self
Face Off: Game Face
2017 · Self - Judge
The Making of Men in Black
1997 · Self
Making Michael Jackson's Thriller
1983 · Self
The Thing with Two Heads
1972 · Gorilla
The Making of Captain EO
1986 · Self
Gremlins, an american nightmare!
2026 · Himself
Old Time Radio: Dance With Me
— · Caretaker
Monsterland
2009 · Self
Monster by Moonlight! The Immortal Saga of 'The Wolf Man'
1999 · Self
It's Alive: The True Story of Frankenstein
1994 · Self
Mummy Dearest: A Horror Tradition Unearthed
2000 · Self
Videodrome: Forging the New Flesh
2004 · Self
RKO Production 601: The Making of “Kong, the Eighth Wonder of the World”
2008 · Self
A Tribute to the Wizard of Oz
1999 · Himself
Charlie Gemora: Uncredited
2016 · Himself
Keep the Gaslight Burning
2018 · Mr Maxwell
Beware the Moon: Remembering 'An American Werewolf in London'
2009 · Self
The Beast Inside: Creating 'Wolf'
2017 · Rick Baker
The Sci-Fi Boys
2006 · Self
Unchained Reaction
2012
Creature Designers: The Frankenstein Complex
2015 · Self
Making Apes: The Artists Who Changed Film
2019 · Self
Cult of Terror
2017 · Self - Make-up Designe...
Men in Black II: Creature Featurettes
2002 · Self
Working with a Master: John Landis
2006 · Self
AGFA Mystery Mixtape #1
2020 · Self
The Art of Imagination: A Tribute to Oz
2005 · Self
Pure in Heart: The Life and Legacy of Lon Chaney, Jr.
2010 · Self
The Road to 'Dracula'
1999 · Self
Ed Wood: Making Bela
2004 · Self
Old Time Radio: The Specter of Christmas
2025 · The Caretaker
Fear and Love: The Story of The Exorcist
2024 · Self
House of Wax: Unlike Anything You've Seen Before!
2013 · Self
She's Alive! Creating 'The Bride of Frankenstein'
1999 · Self
Rick Baker: Alien Maker
2002 · Self
The 'Frankenstein' Files: How Hollywood Made a Monster
1999 · Self
Tales Beyond Madness
2019
The Wolf Man: From Ancient Curse to Modern Myth
2010 · Self
Old Time Radio: Your Move
2023 · The Caretaker
The Night Turkey
1973 · Little Kathy's Date
MonsterKids: The Impact of Things That Go Bump In The Night
2017 · Self