Greetings Manic Fans. Les here to follow up my last blog on character facial makeup. Today, I’m looking at great makeup jobs to make fantasy/science fiction/horror characters. To do this list, I’m limiting myself to only one selection per film/tv show, or, let’s face it….I could do the whole thing with Star Trek characters, or Babylon 5 characters-and that would be too easy. These characters take hours of hard work to make up before the director calls “Action.†They can use makeup, latex and prosthetics to create head shapes or wounds or anything unusual. These characters have makeup so creative and skillfully applied that we believe they’re real. And so, here’s my top 12 favorite makeup jobs for science fiction/fantasy/horror characters. They’re all great jobs, so this list isn’t ranked, either.
Rumpelstiltskin(Robert Carlyle-Once Upon a Time)
As the dark one who Captain Hook described as a crocodile, Rumpelstiltskin has skin that’s shades of bronze, tan and yellow flecked and scaly. Contact lenses make his pupils appear abnormally large to accent his expression of fiendish delight and complete an impish look that sells this wonderful character.
Pa’u Zotoh Zhann(Virginia Hey-Farscape)
There’s not a whole lot to this makeup beyond some ear prosthetics, but the way they use makeup to turn her skin the most awesome shades of blue, white and gray give her a tremendously elegant and alien look.
G-kar(Andreas Katsulas-Babylon 5)
I had to flip the coin a bunch of times for this one as Babylon 5 has some of the most unusual and creative alien designs ever done in a science fiction show. Delenn, Londo Molari, The Drazi, The Drakh, Zathras and Lorien all lost the coin toss to the Narn Ambassador G-kar. The Narn aren’t quite lizardlike, but a bit like a cross between reptile and amphibian with wonderfully textured, leathery skin and red eyes.
Neelix(Ethan Phillips-Star Trek: Voyager)
The Thalaxian from the Delta Quadrant, Neelix is a wonderfully strange makeup application that gives him skin that’s shiny and chameleonlike in the way the light shifts across it to change into different colors. The contact lenses also turn his eyes into something almost indescribably alien.
Hellboy(Ron Perlman-Helboy)
Literally the son of Satan, Anug Un Rama is an exceptional makeup job, giving Actor Ron Perlman the image of a Devil with filed down horns, yellow eyes and strong jawline.
The Terminator(Arnold Schwartzenegger-Terminator 2: Judgement Day)
By the time makeup master Stan Winston finished his magic, the Terminator looked like he’d had 45% of his human flesh shot off of his metallic skull to expose his red glowing eye and mechanical jawbone and it was all done with physical makeup-amazing!
Robocop(Peter Weller-Robocop)
The makeup used to show actor Peter Weller’s face attached to that mechanical head looked amazingly real and created a great disturbing moment when Robocop removes his helmet and sees what he’s been made into.
Cornelius(Roddy McDowell-Planet of the Apes)
This was a makeup landbreaker for its day and even won a special technical achievement for makeup Academy Award. In this mask and makeup, Actor Roddy McDowell became an evolved monkey whose mouth was capable of moving to speak convincingly.
The Tin Man(Jack Haley-The Wizard of Oz)
The fact that this was done in 1939 is astonishing. Using special makeup that included nickel, Actor Jack Haley was transformed into a man made of tin complete with a hinge-jaw and a spout on the top of his head that actually shot steam out of it. Now, if he only had a heart….
Chewbacca(Peter Mayhew-Star Wars)
Big, furry and awesome, Chewbacca was the first Wookie seen in a film. Using an elaborate mask with a moving mouth full of teeth, Actor Peter Mayhew and sound designer Ben Burtt brought this lovable co-pilot of the Millenium Falcon to life.
Lawrence Talbot(Lon Chaney Jr/Benicio Del Toro-The Wolfman)
Ah the Wolfman! Whether you watch the classic film from 1941 with Lon Chaney Jr, or the remake from 2010 with Benicio Del Toro, these character makeup designs are very similar, and both quite beastly and wolf-like.
Ben Grimm(Michael Chiklis-The Fantastic 4)
While the film wasn’t quite the blockbuster they were hoping for, the makeup job done to create The Thing was extraordinarily realistic. A man turned into moving stone, Ben Grimm looked solid, yet was able to move and speak. What could’ve ended up looking like foam rubber, this physical makeup job pulled off a great effect.
And that’s my top 12 favorite makeup jobs for science fiction/fantasy/horror characters. Did I miss any of your favorites? I’d love to hear what makeup magic impressed you, my friends. Peace.
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