Stuart Freeborn
Encyclopedia
Stuart Freeborn is a British motion picture make-up artist. He has been referred to as the grandfather of modern make-up design and is perhaps best known for his work on the original Star Wars
trilogy
His earliest work in the film industry was designing the hair and make-up worn by Alec Guiness as Fagin in Oliver Twist
. Freeborn's most famous work is creating the make-up for all of the characters in the Star Wars trilogy, including Chewbacca
and Yoda
, he supposedly based Yoda on his own face and that of Albert Einstein
. He supervised the design of the original Jabba the Hutt
puppet used in Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi
, which required room for up to three puppeters to operate at the same time.
Freeborn was also the make-up artist on Stanley Kubrick
's 2001: A Space Odyssey
, where he created the humans/apes for the "Dawn of Man" sequence. He worked on Kubrick's Dr. Strangelove, handling Peter Sellers
' multiple lead roles. He also worked with Sellers in several other films, including Heavens Above!
, Mr. Topaze
, and Soft Beds, Hard Battles
and he was the make-up visual supervisor in the Superman films.
His wife Kay assisted her husband on several occasions; their son Graham was also a prolific make-up artist before his death in 1986.
In the Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace
DVD, in one of the web documentaries, he was awarded a statue by the team at Lucasfilm
.
Star Wars
Star Wars is an American epic space opera film series created by George Lucas. The first film in the series was originally released on May 25, 1977, under the title Star Wars, by 20th Century Fox, and became a worldwide pop culture phenomenon, followed by two sequels, released at three-year...
trilogy
His earliest work in the film industry was designing the hair and make-up worn by Alec Guiness as Fagin in Oliver Twist
Oliver Twist
Oliver Twist; or, The Parish Boy's Progress is the second novel by English author Charles Dickens, published by Richard Bentley in 1838. The story is about an orphan Oliver Twist, who endures a miserable existence in a workhouse and then is placed with an undertaker. He escapes and travels to...
. Freeborn's most famous work is creating the make-up for all of the characters in the Star Wars trilogy, including Chewbacca
Chewbacca
Chewbacca, also known as Chewie, is a character in the Star Wars franchise, portrayed by Peter Mayhew. In the series' narrative chronology, he appears in Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, Episode IV: A New Hope, Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back and Episode VI: Return of the Jedi...
and Yoda
Yoda
Yoda is a fictional character in the Star Wars universe, appearing in the second and third original films, as well as all three prequel trilogy films. A renowned Jedi master, Yoda made his first on-screen appearance in Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back where he is responsible for...
, he supposedly based Yoda on his own face and that of Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein was a German-born theoretical physicist who developed the theory of general relativity, effecting a revolution in physics. For this achievement, Einstein is often regarded as the father of modern physics and one of the most prolific intellects in human history...
. He supervised the design of the original Jabba the Hutt
Jabba the Hutt
Jabba the Hutt is a fictional character in George Lucas's space opera film saga Star Wars. Designed as a large, slug-like alien, his appearance has been described by film critic Roger Ebert as "Dickensian," a cross between a toad and the Cheshire Cat....
puppet used in Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi
Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi
Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi is a 1983 American epic space opera film directed by Richard Marquand and written by George Lucas and Lawrence Kasdan. It is the third film released in the Star Wars saga, and the sixth in terms of the series' internal chronology...
, which required room for up to three puppeters to operate at the same time.
Freeborn was also the make-up artist on Stanley Kubrick
Stanley Kubrick
Stanley Kubrick was an American film director, writer, producer, and photographer who lived in England during most of the last four decades of his career...
's 2001: A Space Odyssey
2001: A Space Odyssey (film)
2001: A Space Odyssey is a 1968 epic science fiction film produced and directed by Stanley Kubrick, and co-written by Kubrick and Arthur C. Clarke, partially inspired by Clarke's short story The Sentinel...
, where he created the humans/apes for the "Dawn of Man" sequence. He worked on Kubrick's Dr. Strangelove, handling Peter Sellers
Peter Sellers
Richard Henry Sellers, CBE , known as Peter Sellers, was a British comedian and actor. Perhaps best known as Chief Inspector Clouseau in The Pink Panther film series, he is also notable for playing three different characters in Dr...
' multiple lead roles. He also worked with Sellers in several other films, including Heavens Above!
Heavens Above!
Heavens Above! is a 1963 British satirical comedy film starring Peter Sellers, directed by John and Roy Boulting, who also co-wrote along with Frank Harvey, from an idea by Malcolm Muggeridge...
, Mr. Topaze
Mr. Topaze
Mr. Topaze was Peter Sellers' directorial debut in 1961. Starring Sellers, Nadia Gray, and Leo McKern as well as Herbert Lom who quarreled with Seller's Inspector Clouseau in the Pink Panther movies...
, and Soft Beds, Hard Battles
Soft Beds, Hard Battles
Soft Beds, Hard Battles is a 1974 British comedy film directed by Roy Boulting, and starring Peter Sellers....
and he was the make-up visual supervisor in the Superman films.
His wife Kay assisted her husband on several occasions; their son Graham was also a prolific make-up artist before his death in 1986.
In the Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace
Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace
Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace is a 1999 American epic space opera film written and directed by George Lucas. It is the fourth film to be released in the Star Wars saga, as the first of a three-part prequel to the original Star Wars trilogy, as well as the first film in the saga in terms...
DVD, in one of the web documentaries, he was awarded a statue by the team at Lucasfilm
Lucasfilm
Lucasfilm Limited is an American film production company founded by George Lucas in 1971, based in San Francisco, California. Lucas is the company's current chairman and CEO, and Micheline Chau is the president and COO....
.