Biografia
Pioneering make-up artist Greg Cannom mastered the fundamentals of his craft by studying monster magazines. While attending Cypress College in southern California, he also worked seasonally at Knott's Halloween Haunt theme park. His passion for the horror genre led to a long-term collaboration with special make-up effects creator Rick Baker on films such as The Incredible Melting Man (1977), The Fury (1978), and It Lives Again (1978), as well as the iconic Michael Jackson music video Thriller (1983). Throughout his acclaimed career, Cannom transformed actors into aliens, werewolves, vampires, and various monsters. He was especially renowned for his aging make-up, showcased in Gary Oldman's withered look in Dracula (1992) and Robin Williams's aging android character in Bicentennial Man (1999). He designed the green make-up and prosthetic teeth for Jim Carrey in The Mask (1994), a process that took four hours to apply. Cannom also created Danny DeVito's penguin hands for Batman Returns (1992), foam latex facial prosthetics, fangs, and glowing red contact lenses for The Lost Boys (1987), vampire make-up for Blade (1998), and numerous prosthetics for Igor and other Dracula henchmen in Van Helsing (2004). His notable work extended to franchise installments such as Star Trek, Nightmare on Elm Street, Alien, and Pirates of the Caribbean, as well as standalone hits including Hoffa (1992), Titanic (1997), A Beautiful Mind (2001), Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003), and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008). Cannom earned his fifth Academy Award, including a 2005 Technical Achievement Award, for transforming Christian Bale into Dick Cheney in Adam McKay's political satire Vice (2018).
Greg Cannom graced the cover of the inaugural issue of Make-Up Artist Magazine. He served as an instructor for Local 706, the Make-up Artists and Hair Stylists Guild, which honored him with a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2018. Cannom passed away on May 9, 2025, at the age of 73.
