On this blog, we usually memorialize the deaths of notable directors and actors. But today, we pay tribute to the life of Oscar-winning makeup artist Dick Smith, whose work ranks among the most memorable and iconic in film history.
You probably don’t know Dick Smith and couldn’t pick him out of a lineup, but his work with facial transformation is immediately recognizable. Smith was the man behind Marlon Brando’s jowls in The Godfather, Travis Bickle’s beat-up look in Taxi Driver, Regan’s demonic turn in The Exorcist, the dramatic aging effects in Little Big Man and Amadeus, and the face-melting goodness of Scanners. Before CGI and motion capture became the dominant way to transform actors on screen, Smith had pioneered and perfected physical effects that, to this day, are haunting and powerful.
Dick Smith retired 15 years prior to this death, but there is no doubt that even his work will stand the test of time. He was an artist for the ages and undeniable proof that the crew of a film can be as important to movie magic as the stars.