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and money. However, Pierce was no stranger to latex rubber; he had used a latex headpiece on the
Frankenstein Monster since 1935, the Wolf Man's brow and nose were always a one-piece rubber appliance, and as noted, the mummy "make-ups" were actually rubber masks. Pierce would farm the creation of these appliances out to craftsman Ellis Berman. Universal made 40 to 60 pictures a year, out of which only a half dozen might include some elaborate character make-up or monster face, and then usually sparingly. He was resistant to using foam latex for old age make-ups, preferring the time-honored procedure of painting a face with spirit gum, applying a layer of tissue paper, then crinkling the paper and repeating the process. In all, most of Pierce's work was supervising his make-up unit, overseeing glamour make-ups on the leading ladies, and standard make-ups for leading men and character players.
342:, his cameraman for the test, remembered that the makeup was not that different from what Boris Karloff would later wear. Florey's original script shows a sketch that is said to support this idea, along with Florey's handwritten notation that the monster should have electrical bolts on the side of the neck. However, there is no guarantee that the sketch and notes were really made at the same time as the screen test. Whether any aspects of the monster's look were based on other people's suggestions, it is clear that Pierce came up with a design which was horrific as well as logical in the context of the story. So, where Henry Frankenstein has accessed the brain cavity, there is a scar and a seal, and the now famous "bolts" on the neck are actually electrodes: carriers for the electricity used to revive the stitched-up corpse. How much input director
489:. Later, Chaney suffered with Pierce's laboriously wrapped bandages for three Mummy films, though the "make-up" was simply a rubber mask designed to Chaney's face and attached with spirit gum. Genre fans seem to have exaggerated the Pierce-Chaney conflict to huge proportions. Chaney was obviously familiar with the rigors of cosmetic transformation, having watched his father for years. He crafted his own Neanderthal make-up for
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in a line across the face or jaw, and applying one row of hair. When this dried, a second, overlapping line of hair was glued over that, continuing the procedure until the beard (or werewolf face) was covered. The overall application was then trimmed to the appropriate shape and length. That said, he was not averse to simpler, preformed mustaches or beards. In fact, half of a mustache he applied to John
Carradine as Dracula in
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443:(1941), and their various sequels associated with the characters. Utilizing his "out-of-the-kit" techniques, Pierce's make-ups were often very grueling and took a considerable amount of time to apply. Pierce was always reluctant to use latex appliances, favoring his technique of building facial features out of cotton and
501:, primarily because of the low budget. Interviewed a year before his death, Pierce was asked if working with Chaney was difficult, to which Pierce answered, "Yes and no, that's all I can say." As for Chaney, despite the reported acrimony, he later called Pierce a make-up genius second only to Chaney's own father.
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Jack Pierce was unceremoniously fired from
Universal in 1946, after twenty years of service. One theory for this is that Pierce resisted using the new technique of foam latex for make-ups, which was developed in the late 1930s. That presumably would expedite creating monsters faster, thus saving time
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for his vampire character, but Lugosi insisted on applying his own make-up. For all film appearances of the character thereafter, Pierce instituted a different look entirely, recasting
Dracula as a man with graying hair and a mustache. The most significant creation during Pierce's time at the studio
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Pierce used the established theatrical method of "laying" beards and mustaches, as did most artists who had risen through the theater and early silent movies. The laborious process involved cutting lengths of hair (human hair, yak hair or crepe hair, depending on the situation), painting spirit gum
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In the 1920s, Pierce embarked on a series of jobs in cinema—cinema manager, stuntman, actor, even assistant director—which would eventually lead to his mastery of the field of makeup. The small-statured Pierce was never a "leading man"-type, and he put his performing career aside to specialise in
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More to the point, the new management at the studio, now called
Universal International, wanted to upgrade the company image from B-pictures and programmers to prestige pictures. The Westmore brothers, whose name was as well known in the industry as Max Factor, leaned on the studio to hire their
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Pierce was not especially liked around
Universal, which in part led to his demise at the studio. His most notorious relationship being with Lon Chaney Jr. Both worked on four Wolf Man films and three Mummy films at Universal. Chaney claimed that Pierce compounded difficulties in the long,
623:, for which he made up Karloff as the Frankenstein Monster for a daydream sequence, cut from the film. Primarily, Pierce's post-Universal employment was on low-budget independent westerns and horror films. Notable Pierce creations during this period include the hirsute halfwit in
417:. On that night's program, Jack unveiled some memories of working together with Karloff on the Universal film lot. Karloff, the special guest of the night, was pleasantly surprised to see Jack Pierce once again, and called him the greatest make-up man in the business.
288:—who throughout the 1920s had made a name for himself by creating grotesque and often painful horror make-ups—opened a niche for Pierce and Universal, Chaney's films provided audiences with the deformed, monstrous faces that Pierce and moviegoers of the time enjoyed.
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and gum, and green greasepaint (designed to look pale on black-and-white film) was applied to his face and hands. The finished product was universally acclaimed, and has since become the commonly accepted visual representation of Mary
Shelley's creation.
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hair being glued to his face, and having it singed with a hot iron. Chaney claimed Pierce would purposely burn him with the hot iron. Chaney also reputedly had an allergic reaction to the rubber headpiece make-up Pierce used on him in
390:, to turn Karloff into an incredibly aged and wrinkled Egyptian prince. Again, Pierce and Karloff's collaboration was critically acclaimed and impressed audiences. That same year, Pierce designed the Satanic make-up for Lugosi in
367:, with Karloff removing a dental plate to create an indentation on one side of the Monster's face. He also endured four hours of make-up under Pierce's hand each day, during which time his head was built up with cotton,
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603:, he was photogenic, charming, and young, unlike Pierce. Universal got the cache of the Westmore name, and Bud Westmore became the head of the department for the next twenty years, and Jack Pierce was out of a job.
714:. Jack Pierce was an innovator in the world of screen entertainment and material design. In 2003, Pierce was recognized with a lifetime achievement award from the Hollywood Make-up Artist and Hair Stylist Guild.
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were both familiar with German
Expressionist films. However, there is some evidence that the Golem look was not actually used in a screen test Florey shot with Lugosi. Both Florey and
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Pierce had a reputation for being bad-tempered, or at least extremely stern, but his relationship with
Karloff was a good one. They both cooperated on the design of the now iconic
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featured Lon Chaney Jr. as an unlettered but kindly
Armenian junk dealer who ages from his 30s to his 70s in the course of the story, which Pierce handled with aplomb.
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Though Lugosi did not appear in Pierce's most famous film, the two would work together in future: they collaborated on the look of his devilish character in the film
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312:(1931), with Lugosi originally cast as the Monster. The preliminary design (from contemporary newspaper accounts and a recollection of the screen test by actor
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As the head of Universal's make-up department, Pierce is credited with designing and creating the iconic make-ups for films like
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457:(1941) (the edges of the appliance are clearly visible through most of the film), and a rubber head piece for Boris Karloff in
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Outside of his unusual horror makeups, a recurring signature of Pierce's makeup was to give actors a widow's peak hairline.
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Jack Pierce's work at Universal has become an influence to many in the entertainment field, including make-up artists
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make-up for other performers. In 1915 he was hired to work on crews for the studio's productions. On the 1926 set of
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He created a great many historical, old age, and character make-ups in TV anthology series such as
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Jack Pierce silicone likeness makeup, created by Lee Joyner for Scott Essman Jack Pierce play
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301:(1931), eschewed elaborate horror make-up. Pierce designed a special color greasepaint for
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as a teenager, Pierce tried his hand at several careers, including a stint as an amateur
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made his film debut, Pierce flattened Price's natural widow's peak with hair plugs.
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included an even more severe widow's peak. Pierce shaved the hairline of
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Occasionally Jack Pierce would land a job on a major production such as
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Brief appearance of Jack Pierce with Boris Karloff on This is Your Life
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797:"Cinema Makeup School Honors Jack Pierce With Gallery Dedication"
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In recent years, there has been a strong desire to give Pierce a
749:. Lexington, KY: The University Press of Kentucky. p. 144.
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in Los Angeles dedicated a memorial gallery in honor of Pierce.
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and turned it into an arrow-like widow's peak for the 1934 film
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both wore widow's peak toupees in their respective versions of
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Jack Pierce: The Man Behind the Monsters; Scott Essman article
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280:(1928), a silent picture. Pierce was then hired full-time by
774:. London/New Jersey: The Scarecrow Press, Inc. p. 127.
599:'s professional experience was limited to minor films for
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His associate from the Universal days, director/producer
330:(1920); this is not a surprising idea, since studio head
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comes loose in Carradine's tumble from a runaway coach.
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with the ability to communicate. The head of Universal,
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youngest brother, Bud, to head the department. Though
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best remembered for creating the iconic makeup worn by
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The Immortal Count: The Life and Films of Bela Lugosi
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had into the initial concept remains controversial.
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49:. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
901:2015 Documentary on Jack Pierce trailer on YouTube
946:Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale)
355:(1932), for which Universal loaned out Pierce.
884:Pierce's make-up transformations on Chaney Jr.
874:Relevant article on Pierce's make-up creations
869:John Stevenson's article on the make-up artist
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284:motion picture studio. The death in 1930 of
674:. One episode of that show, a drama called
215:; May 5, 1889 – July 19, 1968) was a
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109:Learn how and when to remove this message
523:in 1931, and Lugosi's makeup for 1932's
403:got Jack Pierce reunited with a smiling
772:Robert Florey: The French Expressionist
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694:Pierce died in 1968 in Hollywood from
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513:and his Spanish-language counterpart
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617:(1948) or the Danny Kaye version of
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879:Jack Pierce article by James Bowles
185:Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale
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848:Frankenstein Monster Makeup video
58:"Jack Pierce" make-up artist
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843:Relevant article on Jack Pierce
632:Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man
620:The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
421:Universal Studios Monster Maker
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653:(1962), played by Mark Damon.
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795:Chase, David (31 May 2013).
384:with the make-up tricks of
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659:Screen Directors Playhouse
359:Collaboration with Karloff
644:Creation of the Humanoids
567:. Conversely, for 1938's
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240:After emigrating to the
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638:Beyond the Time Barrier
498:The Indestructible Man
399:On November 20, 1957,
770:Taves, Brian (1987).
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584:House of Frankenstein
460:Bride of Frankenstein
175:Hollywood, California
726:Cinema Makeup School
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650:Beauty and the Beast
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719:Hollywood Boulevard
676:The Golden Junkman,
547:. Pierce even gave
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473:With Lon Chaney Jr.
466:Son of Frankenstein
409:celebrity biography
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277:The Man Who Laughs
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463:(1935) and
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