Academy Award for Best Makeup and Hairstyling facts for kids

The Academy Award for Best Makeup and Hairstyling is a special prize given out each year at the Academy Awards, also known as the Oscars. It celebrates the amazing work of makeup artists and hairstylists in movies. These talented people help actors transform into their characters, whether it's making them look older, younger, like a fantasy creature, or even a historical figure!

For many years, three films were chosen as nominees for this award. Sometimes there were two or four. But since the 92nd Academy Awards, five films now get nominated, showing how much this art form has grown!

The Story Behind the Award

This award category started in 1981. Before that, makeup artists could only receive special, non-competitive awards. But people felt that the incredible makeup in the 1980 movie The Elephant Man deserved more recognition. This film showed how makeup could completely change an actor's appearance to tell a powerful story.

Even though The Elephant Man didn't get an award itself, the complaints led to a big change! The Academy decided to create a brand new, competitive award just for makeup. This meant that from then on, makeup artists could compete to win an Oscar every year.

How Movies Get Nominated

Choosing the best makeup and hairstyling is a careful process! First, a special committee picks a 'shortlist' of films. Think of it like a semi-final round. For a long time, seven films made this list, but since 2020, ten films are chosen.

Then, the people who work in makeup and hairstyling in the film industry get together for an event called a 'bake-off.' No, they don't actually bake cookies! They watch clips from the shortlisted movies and discuss the amazing work. After this, they vote to decide which five films will become the official nominees for the Oscar.

A Name Change for the Award

In 2012, the award got its full name: the Academy Award for Best Makeup and Hairstyling. This change recognized that hairstylists play just as important a role in creating character looks as makeup artists do.

Meet a Makeup Legend: Rick Baker

One of the most famous makeup artists is Rick Baker. He has won this award an incredible 7 times and has been nominated 11 times! He's known for his amazing creature and monster makeup in movies like An American Werewolf in London and Harry and the Hendersons.

Special Awards Before 1981

Before the regular competitive award started in 1981, the Academy sometimes gave out special, non-competitive Oscars for outstanding makeup work. Only two artists received these special honors:

• In 1964, William J. Tuttle was recognized for his work on 7 Faces of Dr. Lao.
• In 1968, John Chambers received an award for his incredible transformations in Planet of the Apes.

Hairstylists Join the Spotlight

Since 1993, hairstylists have officially shared this award! The Academy decided that if hair designs are a big part of how characters look and feel in a movie, then the hairstylists who create those looks should also be honored with an Oscar.

Artists with Multiple Wins

Some makeup and hairstyling artists are so talented that they've won this Oscar multiple times!

• 7 wins: Rick Baker (a true legend!)
• 4 wins: Greg Cannom
• 3 wins: Mark Coulier, Ve Neill
• 2 wins: David LeRoy Anderson, Michèle Burke, Kazu Hiro (also known as Kazuhiro Tsuji), Yolanda Toussieng, Richard Taylor

Artists with Many Nominations

Being nominated for an Oscar is a huge honor, and some artists have been recognized many times for their incredible work!

• 11 nominations: Rick Baker
• 10 nominations: Greg Cannom
• 8 nominations: Ve Neill
• 6 nominations: Michèle Burke, Kazu Hiro (also known as Kazuhiro Tsuji)
• 5 nominations: Mark Coulier, Matthew W. Mungle
• 4 nominations: Joel Harlow, Aldo Signoretti, Yolanda Toussieng, Michael Westmore, Stan Winston
• 3 nominations: David LeRoy Anderson, Bill Corso, Ken Diaz, Naomi Donne, Edouard F. Henriques, Love Larson, Mike Marino, Martin Samuel, Jenny Shircore, Eva von Bahr, Lisa Westcott
• 2 nominations: Howard Berger, Veronica Brebner, Lois Burwell, John Caglione Jr., Colleen Callaghan, Judith A. Cory, Patricia Dehaney, Dave Elsey, Paul Engelen, Mike Fontaine, Carl Fullerton, Kay Georgiou, Bob Laden, Tami Lane, Göran Lundström, David Martí, Adrien Morot, Montse Ribé, Conor O'Sullivan, Christina Smith, Dick Smith, Vittorio Sodano, Nadia Stacey, Daniel C. Striepeke, Peter Swords King, Richard Taylor, Arjen Tuiten, David White

Interesting Age Records

It's cool to see how artists of all ages have been recognized for their talent!

See also

In Spanish: Anexo:Óscar al mejor maquillaje y peluquería para niños

• Saturn Award for Best Make-up
• BAFTA Award for Best Makeup and Hair
• Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Makeup
• Make-Up Artists and Hair Stylists Guild Award for Best Contemporary Make-Up in a Feature-Length Motion Picture
• Make-Up Artists and Hair Stylists Guild Award for Best Special Make-Up Effects in a Feature-Length Motion Picture
• Make-Up Artists and Hair Stylists Guild Award for Best Contemporary Hair Styling in a Feature-Length Motion Picture
• List of Academy Award–nominated films