Dick Smith. The very name strikes fear into all those who would choose unnecessary CGI over special makeup effects. Though the “Godfather of Makeup” has left us to join the likes of Lon Chaney and Jack Pierce in makeup artist Valhalla, his work remains weaved into some of the best films to feature prosthetics and exploding human appendages.
This guide is meant to help familiarize you with Dick Smith’s work, with a brief look at his makeup effects in notable movies and TV series. If you want to learn more about Smith’s life and work, check out his Wikipedia page and the Dick Smith website.
These are Dick Smith’s Greatest Hits.
1. Alice in Wonderland – 1955
The Alice in Wonderland TV film was broadcast October 23, 1955, featuring Dick Smith makeups that scare the living hell out of me more than anything from The Exorcist. Though the character designs don’t stray too far from the original John Tenniel book illustrations, this was probably the first film that let Smith’s makeup talents really rip.
For additional high-res images of the makeups, check out the film’s photo gallery on the Dick Smith website.
2. The Alligator People – 1959
Dick Smith worked alongside makeup man Ben Nye to create the world’s first trousers-wearing reptile—the epitome of terror. The makeup shows the effects that a doctor’s alligator-serum has on his poor patient.
Though some of the effects might have been iffy even for it’s time (lead actress Beverly Garland once said “The hardest thing in that movie was simply to keep a straight face”.), it has the distinction of being Dick Smith’s first horror film.
3. The Moon and Sixpence – 1959
If you can turn Sir Laurence Olivier into a leper, there’s no stopping you. Olivier plays a man who moves to Tahiti and contracts the disease, which Dick Smith recreated on the actor’s face with obvious relish. Olivier is known for having a great affinity for garish theatrics, including costumes and makeup, and loved his leprous look.
Olivier was so happy with Smith’s work that during filming he told Smith the makeup “does the acting for me.” Not bad coming from a guy who has a theatre award named after him.
4. Way Out – 1961
Dick Smith worked on 9 episodes of this Roald Dahl-hosted horror show, but his most notable work was on the episode “Soft Focus”, where a photographer (Barry Morse) accidentally erases half his face. Enough said.
5. Mark Twain Tonight! – 1967
Samuel Clemens, a.k.a. Mark Twain, was resurrected in a TV special starring Hal Holbrook and co-starring Dick Smith’s meticulous makeup effects. Holbrook was 42 at the time, which left Smith the task of transforming him into a 70 year old version of the author.
Since Holbrook’s suit was whiter than Colonel Sander’s starched collar, Smith had to invent a new makeup technique to keep it from smearing onto the suit. He blended liquid latex and acrylic paint, then dabbed it with powder just before it set. All the dabbing won Smith an Emmy award for achievements in makeup.
6. Dark Shadows (episodes 347-351) – 1967
“Due to an attempted treatment from Dr. Julia Hoffman, Barnabas Collins begins aging rapidly.” When you get a memo like that from the writers room, you immediately call Dick Smith.
Putting his “aged-makeup” skills on display well before Little Big Man, these 5 episodes were the only time Smith worked on the show, though he later returned for the film version, House of Dark Shadows.
7. The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr Hyde – 1968
Have you ever wanted to see Jack Palance made to look like a post-plastic- surgery Sylvester Stallone? No? Well here he is anyway. It may be a far cry from Dick Smith’s grander achievements, but you can’t deny the power of Palance’s killer eyebrows.
Since Palance’s nose was slightly crooked from being broken in real life, Smith also reportedly added a small prosthetic to his nose when he was Dr. Jekyll to make him look more debonair.
8. Arsenic and Old Lace – 1969
Dick Smith continued in the TV movie realm, making Fred Gwynne unrecognizable as the villainous Jonathan Brewster. As serious as Gwynne looks, this TV movie-version of the story plays like an extended episode of a 50s sitcom, featuring a laugh track and some severe overacting.
9. Me, Natalie – 1969
It’s almost impossible to tell, but Patty Duke wears a fake nose and false buck teeth courtesy of Dick Smith in her role as an unpopular girl from Brooklyn. The nose is meant to make her look more awkward and insecure, but for fans of makeup effects, it’s probably the most fascinating part of the film.
10. House of Dark Shadows – 1970
Retelling the story of Barnabas Collins required a step-up in the makeup department, so Dick Smith got to sink his fake fangs once again into the world of gothic-soap operas. Jonathan Frid’s old-age makeup was improved along with the vampire bite prosthetics. You’d think it couldn’t get any better, but with Dick Smith, it always does.
11. Little Big Man – 1970
No, it’s not Barnabas Collins’ long-lost brother, but Dustin Hoffman made to look like a 121-year-old. Next to his work in The Exorcist, Dick Smith is perhaps most celebrated for creating these detailed layers of latex that turned the Graduate in an ancient veteran of Little Bighorn.
Smith was particularly proud of his achievement after he created latex eyelids that, once applied, were able to “blink”. Once the film was edited, all traces of blinking were cut out (unintentionally), much to Smith’s dismay. Though the eyelids didn’t get their starring role, the makeup is still a blinking masterpiece.
12. The Godfather – 1972
Don Corleone may have had networks of “family” members and loyal associates, but his most formidable weapon was Dick Smith. The makeup man upgraded Brando’s original makeup used in his screen test, which consisted of shoe polish for his hair and cotton balls in his cheeks.
For the actual movie, Smith zapped Brando with his “aging” techniques, creating what might be the most famous pair of jowls in history. He even designed the appliance that Brando wore for his jutting jaw, which is housed at the Museum of the Moving Image in New York. I’d pay to see that.
13. The Exorcist – 1973
What do you get when you cross demon possession, pea soup, and Dick Smith? Answers may vary, but I say “a jolly good time at the movies.” This film was basically a playground for Smith and his makeup hijinks. He crafted six different makeups for actress Linda Blair before settling on the final version, as well as creating a special device that allowed Blair’s character to spew green fluid from her mouth.
What is sometimes overlooked is the other impressive makeup created for the film, the “aging” of Max Von Sydow. The actor was 44 at the time of filming and made up to look like a 74 year old priest. The movie was also the first professional job for a young makeup guy named Rick Baker.
14. Taxi Driver – 1976
The first best secret in cinematic history is revealed when Darth Vader tells Luke he is his father. The second is revealed when you find out that Robert De Niro’s mohawk in Taxi Driver is a wig and bald cap combo created by Dick Smith.
De Niro was set to shoot another movie right after the Martin Scorsese film wrapped, so he couldn’t shave his head. Smith fitted De Niro with a bald cap, applied fake hair and eyebrow pencil as “stubble”, and glued on a mohawk. The result? Another Dick Smith appliance that is now housed at the New York Museum of the Moving Image.
15. Harry S. Truman: Plain Speaking – 1976
Most people probably don’t want to sit through a PBS special of an actor playing Harry Truman talking to the camera from various angles for a full 60 minutes. I don’t blame them. However, it’s hard to deny the impressive job Dick Smith did of turning actor Ed Flanders into the 33rd United States President.
16. The Sentinel – 1977
When you open the gates of Hell, expect Dick Smith to come waltzing through with a paintbrush. Smith’s demonic creations are supposed to be the spawn of an evil apartment building that terrorize a young woman living in Brooklyn.
In an unusual move, some of the demons towards the end of the film are not Dick Smith makeups, but real-life circus performers with deformities. As Edgar Wright puts it, it’s in rather “poor taste”.
17. The Exorcist 2: The Heretic – 1977
Whether you enjoy Heretic or think it should be diced up and fed to a hungry Pazuzu, remember it features possessed kids, the return of demon-Reagan, and more Max Von Sydow. I think we can all agree that Dick Smith did his best to give us our money’s worth.
18. Altered States – 1980
William Hurt’s first film role was in Altered States, and after working with Dick Smith he probably wondered what he’d gotten himself into. It was on this film that Smith refined “air bladder” techniques that would be hidden under prosthetic skin, then used for sequences that featured rippling and mutating flesh.
Hurt was buried under layers of latex for several different makeups, including one that literally turns him into a large “blob”. Actress Blair Brown had just as much fun, encased in a latex bodysuit with “veins” that were actually ScotchLite reflective material. An image of red bubbling water was front-projected onto the suit, which made Brown appear as a lava-like figure. Wow. And I think I’m being innovative when I make a grilled cheese sandwich.
19. Scanners – 1981
Assembling the makeup crew for Scanners was probably like assembling the Avengers, with an impressive lineup including Chris Walas, Gary Zeller, and Stephen Dupuis. Dick Smith is credited as contributing prosthetics for several key scenes, including the most memorable—the exploding head scene.
While this film was very much a team effort, it’s evident why they brought Smith on as an “effects consultant.” Ever try creating an explosive head without Dick Smith? Nightmare.
20. Ghost Story – 1981
If you want to get a makeup artist excited, just tell them they’re going to work on a ghost movie. Turning Alice Krige into a vengeful specter was enough to wrangle talented makeup artists like Rick Baker, Carl Fullerton, and Dick Smith for Ghost Story. Ghosts aren’t going to make themselves.
One of the makeups designed by Dick Smith, a faceless version of the ghost, didn’t even make it into the movie. Of course it became the talk of the makeup-town. 18 years later, the effects crew for House on Haunted Hill (1999) dug out Smith’s design and obtained his permission to use it in the film. Therefore, thanks to Dick Smith, we get to see the hell terrorized out of Geoffrey Rush by a chilling apparition sans visage.