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Biography: "Tom Savini's interest in make-up was initiated by the film Man of a Thousand Faces, which starred James Cagney as the legendary Lon Chaney, Sr. With this inspiration at the age of twelve, Tom could be found in the bathroom 'doing grotesque things' to his face while other kids were out playing football.
When Tom Savini began his adventure into the movie business, his philosophy was 'The more you do, the more you get to do'. He was able to parlay his hobby of make-up, and his army training as a combat photographer (Vietnam 1969-70) into a job as special make-up artist and still photographer on Bob Clark's movie, Deathdream. He then graduated to head special make-up artist on Clark's next film, Deranged. For the next six years, he worked as a free lance photographer by day and an actor/make-up artist at night doing repertory regional theater in North Carolina.
It was during these years Tom honed his make-up skills by designing production make-ups for three area theaters. A typical evening meant that Tom would play a character, usually a lead, apply his own make-up, and before curtain time apply beards, scars, aging and whatever to nearly everyone else in the cast. 'Always for the mirror.' If the make-up looked convincing in the mirror, he knew it would sell from the stage. You would also find Tom, in those days, choreographing a musical, or staging the fights, (Tom is a tournament fencer) or falling down a long flight of stairs in some play for his 'art'. He is also an accomplished gynmast. Then his other life experiences began to pay off. While teaching and attending Carnegie Mellon University under a fellowship, he designed and executed the special make-up effects, played a role, and performed the stunts for George Romero's Martin. Following a brief return to regional theater, he designed and executed the effects, played a role, and performed many more stunts in George's Romero's Dawn of the Dead.
That did it. His real movie career took off. He was besieged by producers who let him create innovative and shocking effects, sometimes perform stunts, play roles, and stage fights in such movies as Friday the 13th (Part 1 and 4), Creepshow 1 and 2, Day and Dawn of the Dead, Texas Chainsaw Massacre II, Monkey Shines, Maniac, Trauma, and Necronomicon. He also directed three episodes of Tales from the Darkside and the 1990 remake of Night of the Living Dead. He still runs his own effects company, Tom Savini Ltd., does seminars, performs in plays, and locks for good scripts to direct, and who betters to direct a film than someone who has been an actor, a stuntman, a choreographer, a fight director, a photographer, and a special make-up effects designer.
Where versatility is frowned upon in the arts, Tom has proven in his latest acting assignment, the role of 'Sex Machine' in the Quentin Tarantino-Robert Rodriquez film From Dusk to Dawn that, 'The more you do, the more you GET to do'." - Grande Illusions 1 & 2 by Tom Savini
Make-Up Filmography
Ted Bundy (2002)
Cold Hearts (1999)
Mr. Stitch (1996)
The Assassination File (1996)
Killing Zoe (1994)
Necronomicon (1994)
Trauma (1993)
Bloodsucking Pharaohs in Pittsburgh (1991)
Two Evil Eyes (1990)
Monkey Shines (1988)
Twisted Sister: Come Out and Play (1986)
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 (1986)
Invasion U.S.A. (1985)
Day of the Dead (1985)
Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter (1984)
Till Death Do We Scare (1982)
Alone in the Dark (1982)
The Prowler (1981)
The Burning (1981)
Eyes of a Stranger (1981)
Maniac (1980)
Friday the 13th (1980)
Martin (1978)
Deranged (1974)
Deathdream (1972)
Special Effects Filmography
The Demons 5 (2004)
Web of Darkness (2001)
Cutting Moments (1997)
Heartstopper (1993)
Red Scorpion (1989)
Creepshow 2 (1987)
Maria's Lovers (1984)
Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter (1984)
Creepshow (1982)
Midnight (1981)
Nightmare (1981)
The Prowler (1981)
Effects (1978)
Dawn of the Dead (1978)
Martin (1978)
Deathdream (1972)
Acting Filmography
See IMDB.com
Where Is He Now?: Tom Savini continues to be active in make-up and special effects, and has also acted in many features as well, most recently in George Romero's Land of the Dead and Quentin Tarantino's Grindhouse. He plans to be the director for the upcoming movie, The Forest for a 2024 release.
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