Academy Award for Make-up

Professional make-up artists for motion pictures have been around for years, but once the Academy Awards designated a special award, specifically for make-up artistry, a whole new appreciation for the art developed.   

Since the first Academy Award for Make-up was presented in 1981, the best-of-the-best have been sought out to bring to life the characters and creatures dreamt up by world class directors and portrayed by A-list performers.

Over the next several weeks, we are going to pay tribute to these greats by taking a closer look at those award winning films and their artists. 

To begin, here is an overview of the winners from the past two decades:

1981  An American Werewolf in London
RICK BAKER

1982  Quest for Fire
SARAH MONZANI
MICHELE BURKE

1984  Amadeus
PAUL LEBLANC

1985  Mask
MICHAEL WESTMORE
ZOLTAN ELEK

1986  The Fly
CHRIS WALAS

1987  Harry and the Hendersons
RICK BAKER

1988  Beetlejuice
VE NEILL
STEVE LA PORTE
ROBERT SHORT

1989  Driving Miss Daisy
MANLIO ROCHETTI
LYNN BARBER
KEVIN HANEY

1990  Dick Tracy
JOHN CAGLIONE, JR.
DOUG DREXLER

1991  Terminator 2: Judgment Day
STAN WINSTON
JEFF DAWN

1992  Bram Stoker's Dracula
GREG CANNOM
MICHELE BURKE
MATTHEW W. MUNGLE

1993  Mrs. Doubtfire
GREG CANNOM
VE NEILL

1994  Ed Wood
RICK BAKER
VE NEILL

1995  Braveheart
PETER FRAMPTON
LOIS BURWELL

1996  The Nutty Professor
RICK BAKER

1997  Men in Black 
RICK BAKER
DAVID LEROY ANDERSON

1998  Elizabeth
JENNY SHIRCORE

1999  Topsy-Turvy
CHRISTINE BLUNDELL

2000  Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas
RICK BAKER

2001  The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
PETER OWEN
RICHARD TAYLOR

2002  Frida     
JOHN JACKSON

2003  The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
RICHARD TAYLOR
PETER KING

2004  Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events
VALLI O'REILLY
BILL CORSO

2005  The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
HOWARD BERGER
TAMI LANE

2006  Pan's Labyrinth
DAVID MARTI
MONTSE RIBE

2007  La Vie en Rose
DIDIER LAVERGNE

2008  The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
GREG CANNOM

2009  Star Trek
BARNEY BURMAN
MINDY HALL
JOEL HARLOW

2010  The Wolfman
RICK BAKER
DAVE ELSEY