A Farewell to Dick Smith; A Legendary Make Up and Special Effects Artist.

"Actors have to feel like they are the person they are portraying. I think my work has helped many to achieve that"

During the week, the world of film and entertainment said farewell to a true artist: Dick Smith. Passing away at 92, Smith was an active figure until very recently, though focusing on training and education rather than appearing on film sets. Despite his legacy, it's hard to truly appreciate the mans contribution to the world of film and television without going back to where it all began.

A self-taught make-up artist; Smith decided to pursue a career full-time in film, though initially found it difficult to gain entry in the notoriously closed-off Hollywood. He was advised to try his hand at television, and found himself a role as the first make-up director for WNBC, a position he held for 14 years. He had a lot of love for creating special effects appliances, and became a pioneer in how these were created and then applied to actors. Where his competitors created 'one piece' appliances that covered the actors face completely, Dick found that by creating multiple pieces that could be applied separately, it allowed the actor much more freedom to use their own facial expressions and realistic movement, breathing much more life into the performance itself. Despite initial criticism for this method, it was eventually adopted by the industry, and is the standard method taught even to this day.

His famed works on television included turning Laurence Olivier into a leprosy victim for The Moon and Sixpence (1959) and the 14 episodes of the short lived, Roald Dahl-hosted Way Out (1961). Applying an old age make-up for the vampire show, Dark Shadows, gave Smith the preparation needed to take on the task of turning Dustin Hoffman (then in his 30's) into a 120 year old native American for the 1970 film, Little Big Man; a make-up job that is still regarded as one of the finest ever applied. Shortly after this, he was called upon to transform Marlon Brando into what was to become one of cinemas most iconic characters - Don Corleone for the 1972 filming of The Godfather. Apparently Brando refused to wear appliances to age him, so Dick had to come up with other methods to get the desired effect. It wasn't long before he was handed his biggest challenge; that of turning a young, pretty girl into a child possessed by a demon in William Friedkin's The Exorcist...

His work on The Exorcist is often thought to have revolutionised how effects were created, as Smith had to employ several different techniques, quite often within the same sequence of shots. Everything from having Reagan's head spin around to the writing appearing on her stomach, down to hiding the tubes that would project the vomit from her mouth... watching it now, it's hard to see anything truly fresh or original, but that's because his work here became assimilated into the industry, and are techniques that were used on every major horror film from this point on.

Smith's name appeared on many major films from this point, including Taxi Driver, The Stepford Wives, The Godfather Part II, The Deer Hunter, Altered States, Scanners, Amadeus, Starman... the list goes on and on. whether it was creating jaw-dropping realistic violence, accentuating a performance via old age make up or dazzling with something truly out of this world, Smith was able for it, delivering goods in moments that we nearly forget are created by a 'make-up guy' behind the scenes. 

What truly sticks out about Smith though, is that, unlike his competitors, he was willing to share his ideas and techniques. He was a man willing to re-invest in the industry, by providing guidance to new comers (both Rick Baker and Stan Winston were huge fans of his work and were open about his contributions to their careers) and it was something he continued to do right up until his death. He may have left this world behind him, but his ideas, craft and genuine love for creating will live on in those he continues to inspire.