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.
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."
External links
IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/nm0000711
Wikipedia: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q495321
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Filmography (Movies)
V/H/S/Halloween
Character:Rich (segment "Home Haunt")
Release Date:19/09/2025
Old Time Radio: The Specter of Christmas
Character:The Caretaker
Release Date:28/07/2025
Fear and Love: The Story of The Exorcist
Character:Self
Release Date:26/03/2024
Old Time Radio: Your Move
Character:The Caretaker
Release Date:28/10/2023
AGFA Mystery Mixtape #1
Character:Self
Release Date:08/04/2020
The AGFA Mystery Mixtape Vault
Character:(archive footage)
Release Date:08/04/2020
Tales Beyond Madness
Character:
Release Date:30/07/2019
Making Apes: The Artists Who Changed Film
Character:Self
Release Date:30/01/2019
Keep the Gaslight Burning
Character:Mr Maxwell
Release Date:31/10/2018
King Cohen: The Wild World of Filmmaker Larry Cohen
Character:Self
Release Date:07/07/2018
The Beast Inside: Creating 'Wolf'
Character:Rick Baker
Release Date:20/11/2017
Cult of Terror
Character:Self - Make-up Designer
Release Date:14/10/2017
MonsterKids: The Impact of Things That Go Bump In The Night
Character:Self
Release Date:01/09/2017
Charlie Gemora: Uncredited
Character:Himself
Release Date:15/04/2016
Creature Designers: The Frankenstein Complex
Character:Self
Release Date:18/11/2015
Birth Pains
Character:himself
Release Date:16/10/2015
The Scanners Way: Creating the Special Effects in 'Scanners'
Character:Himself
Release Date:15/07/2014
House of Wax: Unlike Anything You've Seen Before!
Character:Self
Release Date:01/10/2013
Men in Black 3
Character:Brain Alien
Release Date:23/05/2012
The Wolfman
Character:Gypsy Man / First Killed
Release Date:10/02/2010
The Wolf Man: From Ancient Curse to Modern Myth
Character:Self
Release Date:02/02/2010
Pure in Heart: The Life and Legacy of Lon Chaney, Jr.
Character:Self
Release Date:02/02/2010
I Walked with a Werewolf
Character:Himself
Release Date:15/09/2009
Beware the Moon: Remembering 'An American Werewolf in London'
Character:Self
Release Date:14/09/2009
Monsterland
Character:Self
Release Date:29/03/2009
RKO Production 601: The Making of “Kong, the Eighth Wonder of the World”
Character:Self
Release Date:11/10/2008
He Who Made Monsters: The Life and Art of Jack Pierce
Character:Self
Release Date:09/07/2008
Teddy Scares
Character:Hester Golem (voice)
Release Date:28/06/2006
Working with a Master: John Landis
Character:Self
Release Date:27/06/2006
The Sci-Fi Boys
Character:Self
Release Date:27/04/2006
The Perfect Scary Movie
Character:Self
Release Date:29/10/2005
The Art of Imagination: A Tribute to Oz
Character:Self
Release Date:25/10/2005
Ray Harryhausen: The Early Years Collection
Character:Self
Release Date:17/01/2005
Ed Wood: Making Bela
Character:Self
Release Date:19/10/2004
Videodrome: Forging the New Flesh
Character:Self
Release Date:27/08/2004
Rick Baker: Alien Maker
Character:Self
Release Date:26/11/2002
The 'Frankenstein' Files: How Hollywood Made a Monster
Character:Self
Release Date:01/11/2002
Men in Black II
Character:MIB Passport Control Agent
Release Date:03/07/2002
Planet of the Apes
Character:Old Ape #2
Release Date:26/07/2001
How the Grinch Stole Christmas
Character:Puppeteer
Release Date:17/11/2000
Metamorphosis of 'Men in Black'
Character:Self
Release Date:05/09/2000
Mummy Dearest: A Horror Tradition Unearthed
Character:Self
Release Date:29/08/2000
The Road to 'Dracula'
Character:Self
Release Date:21/12/1999
She's Alive! Creating 'The Bride of Frankenstein'
Character:Self
Release Date:01/01/1999
Monster by Moonlight! The Immortal Saga of 'The Wolf Man'
Character:Self
Release Date:01/01/1999
A Tribute to the Wizard of Oz
Character:Himself
Release Date:01/01/1999
The Making of Men in Black
Character:Self
Release Date:04/11/1997
It's Alive: The True Story of Frankenstein
Character:Self
Release Date:25/10/1994
Masters of Illusion: The Wizards of Special Effects
Character:Self
Release Date:22/05/1994
The Making of Captain EO
Character:Self
Release Date:12/09/1986
King Kong! The Living Legend
Character:Self / King Kong
Release Date:01/06/1986
Fangoria's Weekend of Horrors
Character:Self
Release Date:01/01/1986
Into the Night
Character:Drug Dealer
Release Date:22/02/1985
Making Michael Jackson's Thriller
Character:Self
Release Date:15/12/1983
Michael Jackson's Thriller
Character:Zombie Opening the Crypt (uncredited)
Release Date:14/11/1983
The Making of David Cronenberg's Videodrome
Character:Interviewee
Release Date:31/12/1982
The Incredible Shrinking Woman
Character:Sidney
Release Date:30/01/1981
The Kentucky Fried Movie
Character:Dino (segment "A.M. Today") (as Richard A. Baker)
Release Date:10/08/1977
King Kong
Character:King Kong
Release Date:08/09/1976
The Thing with Two Heads
Character:Gorilla
Release Date:19/07/1972
Television Appearances
Images
