Rick Baker

Costume & Make-Up

Rick Baker

Born 1950-12-08 · Binghamton, New York, USA

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."

Acting credits

How the Grinch Stole Christmas poster
6.8

The Grinch decides to rob Whoville of Christmas - but a dash of kindness from little Cindy Lou Who and her family may be enough to melt his heart...

How the Grinch Stole Christmas

2000

Men in Black II poster
6.4

Kay and Jay reunite to provide our best, last and only line of defense against a sinister seductress who levels the toughest challenge yet to the MIB's untarnished mission statement – protecting Earth from the scum of the universe. It's been four years since the alien-seeking agents averted an intergalactic disaster of epic proportions. Now it's a race against the clock as Jay must convince Kay – who not only has absolutely no memory of his time spent with the MIB, but is also the only living person left with the expertise to save the galaxy – to reunite with the MIB before the earth submits to ultimate destruction.

Men in Black II

2002

Men in Black 3 poster
6.5

Agents J and K are back...in time. J has seen some inexplicable things in his 15 years with the Men in Black, but nothing, not even aliens, perplexes him as much as his wry, reticent partner. But when K's life and the fate of the planet are put at stake, Agent J will have to travel back in time to put things right. J discovers that there are secrets to the universe that K never told him - secrets that will reveal themselves as he teams up with the young Agent K to save his partner, the agency, and the future of humankind.

Men in Black 3

2012

Planet of the Apes poster
5.8

After a spectacular crash-landing on an uncharted planet, brash astronaut Leo Davidson finds himself trapped in a savage world where talking apes dominate the human race. Desperate to find a way home, Leo must evade the invincible gorilla army led by Ruthless General Thade.

Planet of the Apes

2001

The Wolfman poster
5.9

Lawrence Talbot, an American man on a visit to Victorian London to make amends with his estranged father, gets bitten by a werewolf and, after a moonlight transformation, leaves him with a savage hunger for flesh.

The Wolfman

2010

Masters of Illusion: The Wizards of Special Effects poster
9.0

Documentary focused on the creation of movie and television special effects, hosted by Roy Scheider and Jonathan Brandis, featuring behind the scenes look at how the visual effects were created for popular films of the era.

Masters of Illusion: The Wizards of Special Effects

1994

King Kong poster
6.3

An oil company expedition disturbs the peace of a giant ape and brings him back to New York to exploit him.

King Kong

1976

Michael Jackson's Thriller poster
8.3

A night at the movies turns terrifying when Michael and his date are attacked by zombies. Released at the height of Thriller’s success, the short film redefined the music video, broke racial barriers, and became the first inducted into the U.S. National Film Registry.

Michael Jackson's Thriller

1983

Into the Night poster
6.5

Ed Okin used to have a boring life. He used to have trouble getting to sleep. Then one night, he met Diana. Now, Ed's having trouble staying alive.

Into the Night

1985

The Kentucky Fried Movie poster
6.2

A series of loosely connected skits that spoof news programs, commercials, porno films, kung-fu films, disaster films, blaxploitation films, spy films, mafia films, and the fear that somebody is watching you on the other side of the TV.

The Kentucky Fried Movie

1977

V/H/S/Halloween poster
6.2

A collection of Halloween-themed videotapes unleashes a series of twisted, blood-soaked tales, turning trick-or-treat into a struggle for survival.

V/H/S/Halloween

2025

The Thing with Two Heads poster
5.0

A rich but racist man is dying and hatches an elaborate scheme for transplanting his head onto another man's body. His health deteriorates rapidly, and doctors are forced to transplant his head onto the only available candidate: a black man from death row.

The Thing with Two Heads

1972

The AGFA Mystery Mixtape Vault poster
NR

THE AGFA MYSTERY MIXTAPE VAULT is a 2-disc, 500-minute odyssey that collects eight feature-length VHS mixtapes from the crackpots at AGFA—including two that have only ever been available theatrically.

The AGFA Mystery Mixtape Vault

2020

Creature Designers: The Frankenstein Complex poster
7.2

The Frankenstein Complex takes a historical as well as a creative perspective, with a mix of fascinating scenes behind the camera, film clips, and dozens of interviews with all the big names in the industry. In addition to the many wonderful anecdotes, the film also offers a wealth of beautiful test material, while along the way showing how the art of filmmaking has changed over the years. An affectionate ode to monster makers throughout history.

Creature Designers: The Frankenstein Complex

2015

Birth Pains poster
NR

Fun thirty-three minute documentary about the making of David Cronenberg's THE BROOD features interviews with star Samantha Eggar, executive producer Pierre David, special effects artists Rick Baker and Joe Blasco as well as assistant director John Board.

Birth Pains

2015

The Incredible Shrinking Woman poster
5.4

After being exposed to a bizarre mixture of household chemicals, Pat Kramer begins to shrink. This baffles scientists, makes parenting difficult, warms the hearts of Americans, and captures the attention of a group of people who want to take over the world. This evil group plots to kidnap Pat and perform experiments on her so that they can eventually shrink everyone.

The Incredible Shrinking Woman

1981

King Cohen: The Wild World of Filmmaker Larry Cohen poster
6.4

A feature-length documentary focusing on the acclaimed work and eclectic career of maverick filmmaker Larry Cohen, writer-director of "Black Caesar," "It's Alive," "God Told Me To," "Q," "The Stuff," and many more.

King Cohen: The Wild World of Filmmaker Larry Cohen

2018

The Making of Captain EO poster
6.9

Documentary of the making of Michael Jackson's Captain EO film for the Disney theme parks.

The Making of Captain EO

1986

RKO Production 601: The Making of “Kong, the Eighth Wonder of the World” poster
8.0

The astonishing story of the genesis, production, worldwide success, and legacy of King Kong (1933), directed by Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack, a landmark of cinema, one of the most influential motion pictures in history.

RKO Production 601: The Making of “Kong, the Eighth Wonder of the World”

2008

Ray Harryhausen: The Early Years Collection poster
8.0

For over a half century, Ray Harryhausen has amazed and inspired countless filmmakers and fans around the world with his breathtaking motion picture effects and stop-motion animation. Presented here for the first time ever is the authorized collection of his earliest work, along with hours of supplemental features.

Ray Harryhausen: The Early Years Collection

2005

Monster by Moonlight! The Immortal Saga of 'The Wolf Man' poster
7.3

Starting with "The Wolf Man" (in 1941), Universal Studios made five movies featuring The Wolf Man, a character portrayed by Lon Chaney, Jr. Monster by Moonlight! explores these movies. Rick Baker explains how the make-up was done on Chaney's character. Screenwriter Curtis Siodmak took very little from earlier werewolf legends, providing his own story for some of the films. This documentary displays clips from several other movies, including "Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein" (1948) and "House of Dracula" (1945).

Monster by Moonlight! The Immortal Saga of 'The Wolf Man'

1999

Men in Black II‎: Creature Featurettes poster
7.0

A look at Rick Baker’s various MIIB creatures including Serleena, Frank the Pug, Scrad / Charlie, Jeebs, The Worm Guys, Jarra, Jeff the Worm, and Alien Esoterica. Produced for the “Men in Black 2” DVD.

Men in Black II‎: Creature Featurettes

2002

Making Apes: The Artists Who Changed Film poster
6.8

Fifty years after its release, the special effects makeup team behind Planet of the Apes reflect on making the iconic film.

Making Apes: The Artists Who Changed Film

2019

The Perfect Scary Movie poster
7.7

A documentary looking at the various conventions and scare techniques of the horror genre.

The Perfect Scary Movie

2005