Died at 92 years the makeup artist of ‘The Exorcist’ and ‘The Godfather’
The “master of film makeup” Dick Smith, died at 92 years after a career plagued of meritorious works, as the transformation of Marlon Brando in Vito Corleone (‘The Godfather’), Dustin Hoffman in “Little Big Man” and Linda Blair in ‘The exorcist’
The news was announced by fellow makeup artist Rick Baker (“Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope”) in his Twitter account.
“The teacher is gone. My friend and mentor Dick Smith is no longer with us. The world will not be the same, “said Baker, who in 2011 was commissioned to deliver to Smith the honor Oscar in a ceremony of the Academy Awards .
In 1985 he won an Oscar for his work in ‘Amadeus’, an award which he shared with Paul LeBlanc, and in 1990 he again became a candidate for the award for ‘Dad’.
Smith’s filmography also includes titles in ‘Requiem for a Heavyweight’, ‘Midnight Cowboy’, ‘The Godfather: Part II’, ‘Taxi Driver’, ‘Poltergeist III’ and ‘Forever Young’.
His works earned him the nickname “The Godfather of makeup” and set a precedent in the use of latex and other flexible materials that facilitated a more natural interpretation of the actors.