Photo: Mingle MediaTV / CC BY-SA 2.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Rick Baker is, full stop, the godfather of modern creature and prosthetic makeup. His werewolf transformation in An American Werewolf in London still terrifies because it's all practical, painstaking craft, no pixels. Seven Academy Awards is absurd, and every one is earned, from the Eddie Murphy multi-character wizardry of The Nutty Professor to the alien menagerie of Men in Black. He also built the look of Michael Jackson's Thriller, which is basically pop-culture immortality. As a fan of practical effects, I think his retirement marked the end of an era, and nothing CGI has done since quite replaces that tactile magic.
Overview
Rick Baker is an American special makeup effects artist born in 1950 in Binghamton, New York. Widely regarded as one of the greatest makeup artists in film history, he won the first-ever Academy Award for Best Makeup for An American Werewolf in London (1981) and went on to win a record seven Oscars in the category. His celebrated work includes The Nutty Professor, Men in Black, and Michael Jackson's Thriller.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Rick Baker
- Name (Japanese)
- リック・ベイカー
- Reading
- りっく・べいかー
- Born
- December 8, 1950 (age 75)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Sagittarius / Tiger
- Origin
- Binghamton, New York, United States
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- Private
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- Actor / Makeup artist
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Private
- University
- Academy of Art University
Awards & achievements
- 1982 Academy Award for Best Makeup and Hairstyling
- 1988 Academy Award for Best Makeup and Hairstyling
- 1995 Academy Award for Best Makeup and Hairstyling
- 1997 Academy Award for Best Makeup and Hairstyling
- 1998 Academy Award for Best Makeup and Hairstyling
- 2001 Academy Award for Best Makeup and Hairstyling
- 2011 Academy Award for Best Makeup and Hairstyling
- Emmy Award
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
Actor — see all → · More people from United States →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.