Christopher Tucker
Encyclopedia
Christopher Tucker is a British make-up designer for theatre and film. He specializes in the creation of prosthetic make-up for horror films. Among his notable works is the make-up effects for The Elephant Man
, The Company of Wolves
and the stage musical The Phantom of the Opera.
, starring Charlton Heston
.
In 1980, Tucker was hired to create the prosthetics that would transform John Hurt
into the hideously deformed Joseph Merrick
in David Lynch
's film The Elephant Man
. According to his website,
In 1983, he transformed Terry Jones
into the fantastically obese Mr Creosote in Monty Python's The Meaning of Life.
In 1984, he developed original forms of werewolf
transformation in The Company of Wolves
, in which a man is seen to tear his own skin off, revealing a wolf beneath, and in which a wolf emerges from another man's throat.
In 1986, he created the prosthetics for Michael Crawford
in the musical adaptation of The Phantom of the Opera
by Andrew Lloyd Webber
.
His most recent credited work is prosthetics designer for Amitabh Bachchan
's character in the 2005 Indian film Black.
for best make-up for 1983's Quest for Fire
.
The Elephant Man (film)
The Elephant Man is a 1980 American drama film based on the true story of Joseph Merrick , a severely deformed man in 19th century London...
, The Company of Wolves
The Company of Wolves
The Company of Wolves is a 1984 gothic fantasy-horror film directed by Neil Jordan, and starring Sarah Patterson and Angela Lansbury.The film is based on the werewolf story of the same name in Angela Carter's short story collection The Bloody Chamber...
and the stage musical The Phantom of the Opera.
Career
Christopher Tucker's earliest credited work is the make-up for the 1970 film of Julius CaesarJulius Caesar (1970 film)
Julius Caesar is a 1970 independent film adaptation of William Shakespeare's play, directed by Stuart Burge from a screenplay by Robert Furnival. The film stars Charlton Heston , Jason Robards and John Gielgud . It is the first film version of the play made in color...
, starring Charlton Heston
Charlton Heston
Charlton Heston was an American actor of film, theatre and television. Heston is known for heroic roles in films such as The Ten Commandments, Ben-Hur for which he won the Academy Award for Best Actor, El Cid, and Planet of the Apes...
.
In 1980, Tucker was hired to create the prosthetics that would transform John Hurt
John Hurt
John Vincent Hurt, CBE is an English actor, known for his leading roles as John Merrick in The Elephant Man, Winston Smith in Nineteen Eighty-Four, Mr. Braddock in The Hit, Stephen Ward in Scandal, Quentin Crisp in The Naked Civil Servant and An Englishman in New York...
into the hideously deformed Joseph Merrick
Joseph Merrick
Joseph Carey Merrick , sometimes incorrectly referred to as John Merrick, was an English man with severe deformities who was exhibited as a human curiosity named the Elephant Man. He became well known in London society after he went to live at the London Hospital...
in David Lynch
David Lynch
David Keith Lynch is an American filmmaker, television director, visual artist, musician and occasional actor. Known for his surrealist films, he has developed his own unique cinematic style, which has been dubbed "Lynchian", and which is characterized by its dream imagery and meticulous sound...
's film The Elephant Man
The Elephant Man (film)
The Elephant Man is a 1980 American drama film based on the true story of Joseph Merrick , a severely deformed man in 19th century London...
. According to his website,
- "The head had 15 different sections, some of them overlapping never done before [sic], made in foam and silicone rubber. It took seven hours to apply."
In 1983, he transformed Terry Jones
Terry Jones
Terence Graham Parry Jones is a Welsh comedian, screenwriter, actor, film director, children's author, popular historian, political commentator, and TV documentary host. He is best known as a member of the Monty Python comedy team....
into the fantastically obese Mr Creosote in Monty Python's The Meaning of Life.
In 1984, he developed original forms of werewolf
Werewolf
A werewolf, also known as a lycanthrope , is a mythological or folkloric human with the ability to shapeshift into a wolf or an anthropomorphic wolf-like creature, either purposely or after being placed under a curse...
transformation in The Company of Wolves
The Company of Wolves
The Company of Wolves is a 1984 gothic fantasy-horror film directed by Neil Jordan, and starring Sarah Patterson and Angela Lansbury.The film is based on the werewolf story of the same name in Angela Carter's short story collection The Bloody Chamber...
, in which a man is seen to tear his own skin off, revealing a wolf beneath, and in which a wolf emerges from another man's throat.
In 1986, he created the prosthetics for Michael Crawford
Michael Crawford
Michael Crawford OBE is an English actor and singer. He has garnered great critical acclaim and won numerous awards during his career, which covers radio, television, film, and stagework on both London's West End and on Broadway in New York City...
in the musical adaptation of The Phantom of the Opera
The Phantom of the Opera
Le Fantôme de l'Opéra is a novel by French writer Gaston Leroux. It was first published as a serialisation in "Le Gaulois" from September 23, 1909 to January 8, 1910...
by Andrew Lloyd Webber
Andrew Lloyd Webber
Andrew Lloyd Webber, Baron Lloyd-Webber is an English composer of musical theatre.Lloyd Webber has achieved great popular success in musical theatre. Several of his musicals have run for more than a decade both in the West End and on Broadway. He has composed 13 musicals, a song cycle, a set of...
.
His most recent credited work is prosthetics designer for Amitabh Bachchan
Amitabh Bachchan
Amitabh Bachchan is an Indian film actor. He first gained popularity in the early 1970s as the "angry young man" of Hindi cinema, and has since appeared in over 180 Indian films in a career spanning more than four decades...
's character in the 2005 Indian film Black.
Awards
Tucker won the BAFTA and Academy AwardsAcademy Awards
An Academy Award, also known as an Oscar, is an accolade bestowed by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers...
for best make-up for 1983's Quest for Fire
Quest for Fire
Quest for Fire is a 1911 Belgian novel by "J.-H. Rosny", the pseudonym of two brothers; the author was likely the elder of the two, Joseph Henri Honoré Boex . It was first published in English in 1967....
.