Stuart Freeborn facts for kids

Stuart Freeborn (born September 5, 1914 – died February 5, 2013) was a very famous British make-up artist. He created amazing characters for movies. Many people called him the "grandfather of modern make-up design." He is most famous for designing characters in the original Star Wars movies, especially Yoda.

Stuart Freeborn's Amazing Career

Stuart Freeborn started his film career a long time ago. One of his first big jobs was designing the hair and make-up for the character Fagin in the 1948 movie Oliver Twist.

Creating Star Wars Characters

Freeborn's most famous work was creating the make-up for many characters in the Star Wars movies. He helped bring characters like Chewbacca and Yoda to life. He even based Yoda's face partly on his own face and partly on the famous scientist Albert Einstein.

He also helped design the large puppet for Jabba the Hutt in Return of the Jedi. Plus, he was involved in creating the cute but brave Ewoks.

Other Famous Movie Work

Stuart Freeborn worked on many other important films. He was the make-up artist for Stanley Kubrick's movie 2001: A Space Odyssey. For this film, he created the look for the early humans and apes in the "Dawn of Man" part of the movie.

He also worked on Kubrick's film Dr. Strangelove. In that movie, he helped Peter Sellers play several different main characters. Freeborn worked with Peter Sellers on other movies too, like Heavens Above! and The Mouse that Roared. He was also the make-up supervisor for the Superman movies.

Stuart Freeborn's wife, Kay, sometimes helped him with his work. His son, Graham, also became a make-up artist.

In a special feature on the Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace DVD, the team at Lucasfilm gave him an award for his amazing contributions.

Stuart Freeborn's Personal Life

Stuart Freeborn passed away on February 5, 2013, in London. He was 98 years old. His wife, Kay, had passed away the year before in 2012. Stuart Freeborn had three sons: Roger, Ray, and Graham, who all passed away before him. He also had eight grandchildren and many great-grandchildren.

Selected Movies Stuart Freeborn Worked On

Here are some of the movies where Stuart Freeborn used his incredible make-up skills:

• The Thief of Bagdad (1940)
• Oliver Twist (1948)
• The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)
• Dr. Strangelove (1964)
• 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
• Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (1972)
• The Omen (1976)
• Star Wars films:
  • Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope (1977)
  • The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
  • Return of the Jedi (1983)
• Superman films:
  • Superman (1978)
  • Superman II (1980)
  • Superman III (1983)
  • Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987)

See also

In Spanish: Stuart Freeborn para niños