From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jack Pierce (May 5, 1889 in Greece – July 19, 1968), born Janus Piccoulas, was a Hollywood make-up artist most famous for creating the iconic make-up worn by Boris Karloff in Universal Studios' 1931 adaptation of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein.

After immigrating to the United States from Greece as a teenager, Pierce tried his hand at several careers, including a stint as an amateur baseball player. In his twenties, he embarked on a series of jobs in cinema - cinema manager, stuntman, actor - which would eventually lead to his mastery of make-up. The small-statured Pierce was never a "leading man" type, and he put his performing career aside to specialize in make-ups on other performers. Early character triumphs of his art included a human ape in The Monkey Talks and the rictus-grin face of Conrad Veidt in The Man Who Laughs, two silent Universal pictures. Pierce was hired full-time by the studio. The 1930 death of Lon Chaney, who throughout the 1920s had made a name for himself by creating grotesque and often painful horror make-ups, opened a niche for Pierce and Universal, who provided audiences with the deformed gargoyles they so clearly enjoyed.

Universal's first talkie horror film, Dracula, eschewed elaborate horror make-up. Pierce designed a special color greasepaint for Lugosi's character, but apparently the actor insisted in applying his own make-up. The most significant creation during Pierce's time at the studio was clearly Frankenstein, originally begun with Lugosi in the role of the Monster. The preminiary design (from contemporary newspaper accounts and a recollection of the screen test by actor Edward Van Slaon) was similar to the Paul Wegener 1920 German film of The Golem. This is not surprising, since studio head Carl Laemmle, Jr. and director Robert Florey were both familiar with German Expressionist films. When James Whale replaced Florey as director, the concept was radically changed. 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 vivify the monster. How much input director James Whale had into the initial concept remains controversial.

Pierce's reputation is as someone who was frequently bad-tempered, or at least extremely stern, but his relationship with Karloff was a good one. They cooperated on the design of the make-up, with Karloff removing a dental plate to create an indentation on one side of the Monster's face. He also endured four hours of make-up under Pierce's hand each day, during which time his head was built up with cotton collodion and gum, and green greasepaint, (designed to look pale on black and white film) was applied to his face and hands. The finished product was universally acclaimed, and has since become the commonly accepted visual representation of Mary Shelley's creation.

The Mummy, produced the following year, combines the plot of Dracula with the make-up tricks of Frankenstein, to turn Karloff into an incredibly aged and wrinkled Egyptian prince. Again, Pierce and Karloff's collaboration was critically acclaimed, as well as impressing audiences. Interestingly, that same year Pierce designed the Satanic make-up for Lugosi in White Zombie, although this was an independent film, rather than a Universal production.

Pierce went on to create make-up for several "Frankenstein" sequels (The Bride of Frankenstein (1935), Son of Frankenstein (1939), Henry Hull's subtly terrifying visage in Werewolf of London (1935), and Lon Chaney Jr. in The Wolf Man (1941), which itself was originally designed for Hull in the 1935 film. This last make-up was extremely elaborate, and pioneered a technique whereby pieces of moulded rubber (now known as "applications") covered in yak fur were glued to the actor's face. As new methods emerged during this period, however, Pierce's slow painstaking approach drew criticism from the studio and actors. Newer techniques could create equivalent effects in less time, and without causing as much pain to actors.

Pierce's crafted an original burn make-up for Claude Rains 1943 version of The Phantom of the Opera, a female anthropoid in a series of three mad doctor films, and assorted character make-ups, age make-ups, and so on. The bulk of his duties at Universal, however, consisted of less exotic tasks, like glamour make-ups. When the studio changed hands in 1945, Pierce was fired after nearly two decades, replaced by the youngest son of the Westmore family, Bud Westmore. Thereafter, other artists took over at Universal, often recreating Pierce's original designs for sequels, such as Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein.

He worked in television and low budget features throughout the 1950s and 60s, only occasionally getting a chance to create memorable visages. His last continuous job was chief make-up man on the series [[Mr. Ed]], largely through the courtesy of the show's director, Arthur Lubin, who had directed Phantom of the Opera. Pierce died in obscurity in 1968. Since then, his reputation has grown, with a generation of make-up artists like Rick Baker and Tom Savini citing him as a pioneer, and magazines such as Famous Monsters of Filmland publishing articles on his work. Recent DVD releases of the classic Universal horror movies have also included footage of Pierce at work, and discussion of his techniques and importance.

In 2003, he was recognised with a lifetime achievement award from the Hollywood Make-up Artist and Hair Stylist Guild.

• Jack Pierce at the Internet Movie Database