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Makeup Man: From Rocky to Star Trek The Amazing Creations of Hollywood's Michael Westmore
A peek behind the Hollywood mask by one of its foremost makeup artists
In Hollywood’s heyday, almost every major studio had a Westmore heading up the makeup department. Since 1917, there has never been a time when Westmores weren’t shaping the visages of stardom. For their century-long dedication to the art of makeup, the Westmores were honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2008. In this lively memoir, Michael Westmore not only regales us with tales of Hollywood’s golden age, but also from his own career where he notably transformed Sylvester Stallone into Rocky Balboa and Robert DiNiro into Jake LaMotta, among many other makeup miracles.
Westmore’s talent as a makeup artist first became apparent when he created impenetrable disguises for Kirk Douglas, Tony Curtis, Burt Lancaster, Robert Mitchum, and Frank Sinatra for the 1963 film The List of Adrian Messenger. He later went on to become the preferred makeup man for Bobby Darin and Elizabeth Taylor, and worked on such movies and TV shows as The Munsters, Rosemary’s Baby, Eleanor and Franklin, New York, New York, 2010: A Space Odyssey, and Mask, for which he won an academy award. The next phase of his career was to create hundreds of alien characters for over 600 episodes of Star Trek in all its iterations, from The Next Generation to Enterprise.
Replete with anecdotes about Hollywood and its stars, from Bette Davis’s preference for being made-up in the nude to Shelley Winters’s habit of nipping from a “little bottle” while on the set, Makeup Man will satisfy any Hollywood’s fan’s appetite for gossip or a behind-the-scenes look at how tinsel town’s most iconic film characters were created.
Academy Award-winning Michael Westmore has been making up the stars for over fifty years. He frequently appears on the SyFy channel show Face Off with his daughter McKenzie Westmore.
In Hollywood’s heyday, almost every major studio had a Westmore heading up the makeup department. Since 1917, there has never been a time when Westmores weren’t shaping the visages of stardom. For their century-long dedication to the art of makeup, the Westmores were honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2008. In this lively memoir, Michael Westmore not only regales us with tales of Hollywood’s golden age, but also from his own career where he notably transformed Sylvester Stallone into Rocky Balboa and Robert DiNiro into Jake LaMotta, among many other makeup miracles.
Westmore’s talent as a makeup artist first became apparent when he created impenetrable disguises for Kirk Douglas, Tony Curtis, Burt Lancaster, Robert Mitchum, and Frank Sinatra for the 1963 film The List of Adrian Messenger. He later went on to become the preferred makeup man for Bobby Darin and Elizabeth Taylor, and worked on such movies and TV shows as The Munsters, Rosemary’s Baby, Eleanor and Franklin, New York, New York, 2010: A Space Odyssey, and Mask, for which he won an academy award. The next phase of his career was to create hundreds of alien characters for over 600 episodes of Star Trek in all its iterations, from The Next Generation to Enterprise.
Replete with anecdotes about Hollywood and its stars, from Bette Davis’s preference for being made-up in the nude to Shelley Winters’s habit of nipping from a “little bottle” while on the set, Makeup Man will satisfy any Hollywood’s fan’s appetite for gossip or a behind-the-scenes look at how tinsel town’s most iconic film characters were created.
Academy Award-winning Michael Westmore has been making up the stars for over fifty years. He frequently appears on the SyFy channel show Face Off with his daughter McKenzie Westmore.
320 pages, Hardcover
Published February 1, 2017
9 people are currently reading
134 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
July 30, 2018
I am a huge fan of Mr. Westmore and his creations. He has a seemingly unending supply of talent.
This is a short series of stories where Mr. Westmore gradually takes you from the early career of his father, uncles and siblings and then finally his career proper. He jumps around a bit and repeats himself on occasion.
It’s like going out to lunch with your grandfather or father and listening to him tell stories from his Hollywood career. They are all entertaining anecdotes but they all feel sort of “surface”. The stories don’t necessarily link to each other. They just jump from topic to topic. In a sense the book could use a stronger editor to make it feel more cohesive. As it stands it feels 90% finished
This is a short series of stories where Mr. Westmore gradually takes you from the early career of his father, uncles and siblings and then finally his career proper. He jumps around a bit and repeats himself on occasion.
It’s like going out to lunch with your grandfather or father and listening to him tell stories from his Hollywood career. They are all entertaining anecdotes but they all feel sort of “surface”. The stories don’t necessarily link to each other. They just jump from topic to topic. In a sense the book could use a stronger editor to make it feel more cohesive. As it stands it feels 90% finished
April 15, 2023
I absolutely love the show FaceOff, so when I saw this in a second hand store I had to grab it. I loved hearing how all of the different makeup looks were achieved and all of the celebrity anecdotes.
May 27, 2017
When I was a teenager, I strongly considered becoming a special effects makeup artist. I was inspired mostly by the work of Michael Westmore, the genius who birthed hundreds of unique creations on the Star Trek series and films from 1987-2005. Somewhere, I have Westmore's response to a fan letter I mailed him in the mid-90s.
This is enjoyable memoir that begins with a history of the Westmore family: makeup artists and hairstylists in Hollywood for four generations. Westmore shares his recollections of working with stars from Greer Garson and Elizabeth Taylor to Sylvester Stallone and Robert DeNiro.
For me, he could have spent much more time on Star Trek. I would have loved an in-depth analysis of every alien or character he ever created but such a thing is just not practical. I think the book might have benefitted from a researcher/editor. There were several occasions where Westmore repeats himself and a few spots where his recollections of dates, the spellings of actor's names or episode titles are incorrect.
Despite any shortcomings, the book is a must-read for Trekkies, fans of Hollywood history and lovers of special effects makeup.
This is enjoyable memoir that begins with a history of the Westmore family: makeup artists and hairstylists in Hollywood for four generations. Westmore shares his recollections of working with stars from Greer Garson and Elizabeth Taylor to Sylvester Stallone and Robert DeNiro.
For me, he could have spent much more time on Star Trek. I would have loved an in-depth analysis of every alien or character he ever created but such a thing is just not practical. I think the book might have benefitted from a researcher/editor. There were several occasions where Westmore repeats himself and a few spots where his recollections of dates, the spellings of actor's names or episode titles are incorrect.
Despite any shortcomings, the book is a must-read for Trekkies, fans of Hollywood history and lovers of special effects makeup.
July 8, 2023
This book was a lot of fun to read. I took the book for what it was, the authors account of working as one of the greatest make-up artists in Hollywood. He recounts his family history in the film industry make-up business and it was interesting to read about the influence his whole family has had on the industry, as seldom do you hear about the hard working people behind the scenes. The author does jump around a little, but it's like listening to an older person recount some fascinating stories from their past. I was most interested in his affiliation with Star Trek, but his other stories with working with some of Hollywood's biggest stars was just as interesting as he would often be with them while they were in the make-up chair, sometimes for hours. This was a great summer reading book.
April 13, 2024
The term "Hollywood royalty" gets banded about these days but in this case the Westmore family have earned the title. Going back to the 1920's the Westmore's have been involved in the makeup business. This book gives a history of the family with stories of the Hollywood greats then moves onto specifically Michael Westmore's legacy of movie and TV makeup very specifically the many years of working on the Star Trek franchise from The Next Generation, through Deep Space Nine, Voyager and Enterprise.
This is not a manual for how to apply makeup but stories around the personalities and how issues were resolved. Anyone interested in this field will find this book interesting and due to the very informal chatty nature of the writing it feels like you have had a drink and with Micale in a bar and just talked.
Highly recommended.
This is not a manual for how to apply makeup but stories around the personalities and how issues were resolved. Anyone interested in this field will find this book interesting and due to the very informal chatty nature of the writing it feels like you have had a drink and with Micale in a bar and just talked.
Highly recommended.
April 4, 2021
This book came from my guilty pleasure of watching SFX makeup shows. Michael Westmore has made the prosthetics and makeup for hundreds of shows. I think it would probably be hard for you to have not seem a show that he has worked on. Learning about his experiences through this book was fascinating. There are shots from a lot of the shows and movies as well as anecdotes and funny Stories.
The book is a lot of fun to read but it is not what I would call a page turner, which meant that it took me longer to read as I would read a couple of chapters, go on to something else and then come back again. The writing flows well and I think Mr Westmore would be a fascinating man to share dinner with to learn about movies and TV and how they have changed.
The book is a lot of fun to read but it is not what I would call a page turner, which meant that it took me longer to read as I would read a couple of chapters, go on to something else and then come back again. The writing flows well and I think Mr Westmore would be a fascinating man to share dinner with to learn about movies and TV and how they have changed.
July 8, 2017
While I've always been a huge fan of the Westmore family and the entire special effects makeup industry, this bio just fell short for me. I wanted (and expected) way more photographs than were included. A few are scattered throughout, but I would love to have really seen more of his work. I did love the individual stories Westmore had with various actors and players through time. And while I am not a Star Trek fan, a great deal of the book is dedicated to that, so be prepared.
August 9, 2017
What a book!! This is an astonishing look at all of the techniques/ processes that Mr. Westmore has used in his career as one of the eminent cosmetic geniuses in Hollywood. So many incredible anecdotes about his family and the history of American Cinema from when it all began. It is a truly marvelous read if one is interested in the process of making movies, understanding the differences between fashion oriented makeup and television/film makeup!
May 15, 2017
I was very excited to get this book from the library, but I found to read more like an encyclopedia than a memoir. If you are involved with artistic make-ups you will probably find this offering much more interesting than I did. It was good, but I would have liked a book that was lighter on the techniques and heavier on the author and their clients/projects.
September 22, 2018
I heard an interview with Michael Westmore on a Star Trek podcast. He's done some amazing things in Hollywood and has made a huge impact on the Star Trek universe. I had to check out this book.
This book isn't written like a true autobiography, but reads more like a collection of select anecdotes. The images and the behind-the-scenes info about various Star Trek characters were great.
This book isn't written like a true autobiography, but reads more like a collection of select anecdotes. The images and the behind-the-scenes info about various Star Trek characters were great.
July 17, 2024
This book is sort of a biography of a career in the movie make up arena. This person (Michael Westmore) has had a long and interesting career. This is not a resume. This is a very good telling of many of the stories that a long, successful career has had. If you are interested in the movie industry and related stories, this book is highly recommended. This is a 4 ace book.
July 6, 2023
Was okay. Skin-deep overview of his family, life, and career.
For someone who was right in the action and from a historical family, it would have been so interesting to go beyond quips and anecdotes.
For someone who was right in the action and from a historical family, it would have been so interesting to go beyond quips and anecdotes.
June 17, 2017
enjoyed learning about the techniques and all the people he worked with . Didnt realize there were so many Westmores
August 1, 2017
3.5 stars- slow at the beginning, but then gets into the juicy Hollywood details I was hoping for. Great photos and tips on makeup application as well.
March 5, 2018
Enjoyable.
March 29, 2018
He's not the best writer in the world, so the narrative was a bit disjointed, but he's led a fascinating life.
December 29, 2021
Good Interesting Read
March 6, 2022
Disappointing
The anecdotes about makeup design, construction, and application are shallow and the whole book is more Hollywood gossipy than I expected.
The anecdotes about makeup design, construction, and application are shallow and the whole book is more Hollywood gossipy than I expected.
April 15, 2017
Face-Off on the SyFy channel is one of my favorites and I was interested in learning more about Michael Westmore. Reading about the history of his family and his career will only make the show more enjoyable.
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October 23, 2017Awesome reading -- was always a fan of his latex molds!
January 8, 2018
I enjoyed this book. I was wishing for more photos, as others have mentioned, but it was an interesting read. I loved the section on star trek particularly.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews