R.I.P. Stuart Freeborn, the Make-Up Artist Behind DR. STRANGELOVE, STAR WARS, 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY, and Many More

Prolific make-up artist Stuart Freeborn has died in England earlier today at the age of 98.  Per Film Buff Online, his career spanned almost six decades and included classic films such as Victoria The Great, The Thief Of Bahgdad, The Life And Death Of Colonel Blimp, and David Lean’s Oliver Twist.  His best-known work began with Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb by transforming Peter Sellers into three different characters.  Freeborn continued to work with Stanley Kubrick by designing the apes in the “Dawn of Man” sequence.  But perhaps Freeborn’s most famous work was serving as make-up supervisor on the original Star Wars trilogy, and helping to craft the look of Chewbacca, Yoda, and Jabba the Hutt.

Our deepest condolences go out to Mr. Freeborn’s family and friends.