Rick Baker

Baker was born in Binghamton, New York, to Doris (née Hamlin) and Ralph B. Baker, a professional artist. He is married and has two daughters.\n', ' As a teen, Baker began creating artificial body parts in his own kitchen.[citation needed] He also appeared briefly[citation needed] in the fan production The Night Turkey, a one-hour, black-and-white video parody of The Night Stalker directed by William Malone. Baker\'s first professional job was as an assistant to prosthetic makeup effects veteran Dick Smith on the film The Exorcist.\n', ' Baker received the inaugural Academy Award for Best Makeup for his work on An American Werewolf in London. He also created the "werecat" creature Michael Jackson transforms into in the music video Thriller.[citation needed] Subsequently, Baker has been nominated for the Best Makeup Oscar ten more times, winning on seven occasions, both records in his field.\n', '