Rick Baker
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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."
Known for
Credits
Men in Black II (2002)
as MIB Passport Control Agent
How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000)
as Puppeteer
Michael Jackson's Thriller (1983)
as Zombie Opening the Crypt (uncredited)
Men in Black 3 (2012)
as Brain Alien
Planet of the Apes (2001)
as Old Ape #2
The Wolfman (2010)
as Gypsy Man / First Killed
V/H/S/Halloween (2025)
as Rich (segment "Home Haunt")
King Kong (1976)
as King Kong
Into the Night (1985)
as Drug Dealer
King Cohen: The Wild World of Filmmaker Larry Cohen (2018)
as Self
The Kentucky Fried Movie (1977)
as Dino (segment "A.M. Today") (as Richard A. Baker)
The Perfect Scary Movie (2005)
as Self
The Incredible Shrinking Woman (1981)
as Sidney
The Thing with Two Heads (1972)
as Gorilla
The Making of Captain EO (1986)
as Self
Birth Pains (2015)
as himself
Monsterland (2009)
as Self
Ray Harryhausen: The Early Years Collection (2005)
as Self
The Making of Men in Black (1997)
as Self
AGFA Mystery Mixtape #1 (2020)
as Self
The Sci-Fi Boys (2006)
as Self
Ed Wood: Making Bela (2004)
as Self
Teddy Scares (2006)
as Hester Golem (voice)
The Creeper: Rondo Hatton at Universal (2020)
as Self
The Road to 'Dracula' (1999)
as Self
Gremlins, an american nightmare! (2026)
as Himself
It's Alive: The True Story of Frankenstein (1994)
as Self
Charlie Gemora: Uncredited (2016)
as Himself
Monster by Moonlight! The Immortal Saga of 'The Wolf Man' (1999)
as Self
Making Michael Jackson's Thriller (1983)
as Self
Making Apes: The Artists Who Changed Film (2019)
as Self
Keep the Gaslight Burning (2018)
as Mr Maxwell
The AGFA Mystery Mixtape Vault (2020)
as (archive footage)
RKO Production 601: The Making of “Kong, the Eighth Wonder of the World” (2008)
as Self
Masters of Illusion: The Wizards of Special Effects (1994)
as Self
Beware the Moon: Remembering 'An American Werewolf in London' (2009)
as Self
Cult of Terror (2017)
as Self - Make-up Designer
I Walked with a Werewolf (2009)
as Himself
Mummy Dearest: A Horror Tradition Unearthed (2000)
as Self
The Night Turkey (1973)
as Little Kathy's Date
Creature Designers: The Frankenstein Complex (2015)
as Self
Fangoria's Weekend of Horrors (1986)
as Self
King Kong! The Living Legend (1986)
as Self / King Kong
The 'Frankenstein' Files: How Hollywood Made a Monster (1999)
as Self
House of Wax: Unlike Anything You've Seen Before! (2013)
as Self
Metamorphosis of 'Men in Black' (2000)
as Self
She's Alive! Creating 'The Bride of Frankenstein' (1999)
as Self
The Art of Imagination: A Tribute to Oz (2005)
as Self
Working with a Master: John Landis (2006)
as Self
Pure in Heart: The Life and Legacy of Lon Chaney, Jr. (2010)
as Self
Old Time Radio: Dance With Me (—)
as Caretaker
He Who Made Monsters: The Life and Art of Jack Pierce (2008)
as Self
Fear and Love: The Story of The Exorcist (2024)
as Self
The Scanners Way: Creating the Special Effects in 'Scanners' (2014)
as Himself
The Beast Inside: Creating 'Wolf' (2017)
as Rick Baker
Old Time Radio: The Specter of Christmas (2025)
as The Caretaker
The Making of David Cronenberg's Videodrome (1982)
as Interviewee
Videodrome: Forging the New Flesh (2004)
as Self
The Wolf Man: From Ancient Curse to Modern Myth (2010)
as Self
Men in Black II: Creature Featurettes (2002)
as Self
Rick Baker: Alien Maker (2002)
as Self
A Tribute to the Wizard of Oz (1999)
as Himself
MonsterKids: The Impact of Things That Go Bump In The Night (2017)
as Self
Tales Beyond Madness (2019)
Actor
Old Time Radio: Your Move (2023)
as The Caretaker