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Jack Pierce

Jack Pierce

Make Up Department

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jack Pierce (born Janus Piccoula; May 5, 1889 – July 19, 1968) was a Hollywood make-up artist best remembered for creating the iconic makeup worn by Boris Karloff in Frankenstein (1931), along with various other classic monster make-ups for Universal Studios. In the 1920s, Pierce embarked on a series of jobs in cinema—cinema manager, stuntman, actor, even assistant director, but within a few years he settled on mastering makeup. The head of Universal, Carl Laemmle, was won over with his creative abilities and hired full-time by the studio. Universal's first "talkie" horror film, Dracula (1931), eschewed elaborate horror make-up. Pierce designed a special color greasepaint for Bela Lugosi for his vampire character, but Lugosi insisted on applying his own make-up. For all film appearances of the character thereafter, Pierce instituted a different look entirely, recasting Dracula as a man with graying hair and a mustache. The most significant creation during Pierce's time at the studio was Frankenstein (1931), with Lugosi originally cast as the Monster. Pierce came up with a design which was horrific as well as logical in the context of the story. So, where Henry Frankenstein has accessed the brain cavity, there is a scar and a seal, and the now famous "bolts" on the neck are actually electrodes: carriers for the electricity used to revive the stitched-up corpse. As the head of Universal's make-up department, Pierce is credited with designing and creating the iconic make-ups for films like Frankenstein, The Mummy (1932), The Wolf Man (1941), and their various sequels associated with the characters. Utilizing his "out-of-the-kit" techniques, Pierce's make-ups were often very grueling and took a considerable amount of time to apply. Pierce was always reluctant to use latex appliances, favoring his technique of building facial features out of cotton and collodion, or nose putty. Pierce eventually started using latex appliances, most notably a rubber nose for Lon Chaney Jr. in The Wolf Man (1941) (the edges of the appliance are clearly visible through most of the film), and a rubber head piece for Boris Karloff in Bride of Frankenstein (1935) and Son of Frankenstein (1939). He did a great many historical, old age and character make-ups in TV anthology series such as Screen Directors Playhouse, You Are There and Telephone Time. One episode of that show, a drama called The Golden Junkman, featured Lon Chaney Jr. as an unlettered but kindly Armenian junk dealer who ages from his 30s to his 70s in the course of the story, which Pierce handled with aplomb. Pierce died in 1968 from uremia. Jack Pierce's enduring work at Universal has become a huge influence to many in the entertainment field, including make-up artists Rick Baker and Tom Savini. In 2003, Pierce was recognized with a lifetime achievement award from the Hollywood Make-up Artist and Hair Stylist Guild. In May 2013, Cinema Makeup School in Los Angeles dedicated a memorial gallery in his honor.

Born: May 5, 1889 in Valdetsyou, Greece

Died: July 19, 1968 (Age 79)

Streaming Sources for all Jack Pierce Movies & TV Shows

Jack Pierce  Movies & TV Credits

Title Rating Job Role(s) Year
Movie
5.8
Actor1927
Movie
5.2
ActorPete Gushard1922
Movie
6.5
ActorSelf (archive footage)2015
Movie
8.2
ActorMan Operating Ropes (uncredited)1928
Movie
7.1
ActorSecond Reporter1929
Movie
7.3
ActorSelf (archive footage)2008
TV Show
7.7
ActorGrady Felton
1 Episode
1997
Short Film
5.8
ActorDwarf1917
Movie
6.8
Costume & Make-UpMakeup Artist1932
Movie
5.5
Costume & Make-UpMakeup Artist1960
Movie
6.7
Costume & Make-UpMakeup Supervisor1946
Movie
6.2
Costume & Make-UpMakeup Artist1940
Movie
7.7
Costume & Make-UpMakeup Artist1935
Movie
7
Costume & Make-UpMakeup Artist1947
Movie
6.6
Costume & Make-UpMakeup Artist1933
Movie
6.8
Costume & Make-UpMakeup Artist1946
Movie
5.2
Costume & Make-UpMakeup Artist1943
Movie
5.5
Costume & Make-UpMakeup Artist1944
Movie
7.5
Costume & Make-UpMakeup Artist1931
Movie
6.1
Costume & Make-UpMakeup Artist1936
Movie
6.9
Costume & Make-UpMakeup Department Head1946
Movie
6.7
Costume & Make-UpMakeup Artist1943
Movie
6.2
Costume & Make-UpMakeup Artist1943
Movie
4.3
Costume & Make-UpMakeup Artist1958
Movie
6
Costume & Make-UpMakeup Artist1934
Movie
5.6
Costume & Make-UpMakeup Artist1944
Movie
5.8
Costume & Make-UpMakeup Artist1945
Movie
6
Costume & Make-UpMakeup Artist1944
Movie
6.2
Costume & Make-UpMakeup Artist1946
Movie
6.2
Costume & Make-UpMakeup Artist1958
Movie
7.6
Costume & Make-UpMakeup Artist1934
Movie
6.3
Costume & Make-UpMakeup Artist1948
Movie
4.5
Costume & Make-UpMakeup Artist1944
Movie
6.5
Costume & Make-UpMakeup Artist1930
Movie
6.6
Costume & Make-UpMakeup Artist1946
Movie
5.9
Costume & Make-UpMakeup Department Head1946
Movie
6
Costume & Make-UpMakeup Artist1941
Movie
5.9
Costume & Make-UpMakeup Artist1949
Movie
6.1
Costume & Make-UpMakeup Artist1932
Movie
6.2
Costume & Make-UpMakeup Artist1937
Movie
5.4
Costume & Make-UpMakeup Artist1953
Movie
6.6
Costume & Make-UpMakeup Artist1943
Movie
6.8
Costume & Make-UpMakeup Department Head1945
Movie
7.8
Costume & Make-UpMakeup Artist1945
Movie
5.3
Costume & Make-UpMakeup Artist1946
Movie
7.2
Costume & Make-UpMakeup Artist1936
Movie
6
Costume & Make-UpMakeup Artist1943
Movie
7
Costume & Make-UpMakeup Artist1939
Movie
5.9
Costume & Make-UpMakeup Artist1945
Movie
6.3
Costume & Make-UpMakeup Artist1946
Movie
6.6
Costume & Make-UpMakeup Department Head1946
Movie
4.1
Costume & Make-UpMakeup Artist1960
Movie
6.8
Costume & Make-UpMakeup Artist1934
Movie
5.4
Costume & Make-UpMakeup Artist1957
Movie
4.3
Costume & Make-UpMakeup Artist1946
Movie
5
Costume & Make-UpMakeup Artist1946
Movie
5.4
Costume & Make-UpMakeup Artist1944
Movie
5.9
Costume & Make-UpMakeup Artist1962
Movie
7.1
Costume & Make-UpMakeup Artist1947
Movie
6
Costume & Make-UpMakeup Artist1942
Movie
6.9
Costume & Make-UpMakeup Artist1940
Movie
7.7
Costume & Make-UpMakeup Artist1933
Movie
6.4
Costume & Make-UpMakeup Artist1936
Movie
4.9
Costume & Make-UpMakeup Artist1945
Movie
7.8
Costume & Make-UpMakeup Department Head1946
Movie
6.3
Costume & Make-UpMakeup Artist1933
Movie
6.7
Costume & Make-UpMakeup Artist1928
Movie
6
Costume & Make-UpMakeup Artist1943
Movie
7.7
Costume & Make-UpMakeup Artist1928
Movie
6.9
Costume & Make-UpMakeup Designer1932
Movie
5.6
Costume & Make-UpMakeup Artist1944
Movie
5.7
Costume & Make-UpMakeup Artist1944
Movie
5.9
Costume & Make-UpMakeup Artist1940
Movie
5.6
Costume & Make-UpMakeup Artist1942
Movie
7.2
Costume & Make-UpMakeup Artist1945
Movie
6.9
Costume & Make-UpMakeup Designer1935
Movie
5.4
Costume & Make-UpMakeup Artist1946
Movie
6.7
Costume & Make-UpMakeup Artist1945
Movie
7.3
Costume & Make-UpMakeup Artist1941
Movie
6.4
Costume & Make-UpMakeup Artist1939
Movie
6.1
Costume & Make-UpMakeup Artist1935
Movie
5.6
Costume & Make-UpMakeup Artist1943
Movie
6
Costume & Make-UpMakeup Artist1932
Movie
5.8
Costume & Make-UpMakeup Artist1938
Movie
5.5
Costume & Make-UpMakeup Artist1925
Movie
5.9
Costume & Make-UpMakeup Artist1946
Movie
5.9
Costume & Make-UpMakeup Artist1933
Movie
5.8
Costume & Make-UpMakeup Artist1947
Movie
6.3
Costume & Make-UpMakeup Artist1936
Movie
8.7
Costume & Make-UpMakeup Artist1947
Movie
6.4
Costume & Make-UpMakeup Department Head1946
Movie
5.5
Costume & Make-UpMakeup Artist1949
Movie
Costume & Make-UpMakeup Artist1937
Movie
7.5
Costume & Make-UpMakeup Artist1934
Movie
6.5
Costume & Make-UpMakeup & Hair1946
Movie
4.5
Costume & Make-UpMakeup Artist1950
Movie
6.7
Costume & Make-UpMakeup Artist1956
Movie
3.2
Costume & Make-UpMakeup Artist1926
Movie
5.1
Costume & Make-UpMakeup Artist1951
Movie
6.5
Costume & Make-UpMakeup & Hair
Movie
7
Costume & Make-UpMakeup Department Head
Movie
6.3
Costume & Make-UpMakeup Artist
Movie
6.5
Costume & Make-UpMakeup Artist
Title Rating Job Role(s) Year
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