Stuart Freeborn

Career

Freeborn's earliest work in the film industry was designing the controversial hair and make-up worn by Alec Guinness, as Fagin, in Oliver Twist. Freeborn's most famous work is creating the make-up for all of the characters in the Star Wars trilogy, including Chewbacca and Yoda; he based Yoda on his own face and partly on Albert Einstein.

Freeborn was also the make-up artist on Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey, where he created the humans/apes for the "Dawn of Man" sequence. He worked on Kubrick's Dr. Strangelove, handling Peter Sellers' multiple lead roles. He also worked with Sellers in several other films, including Heavens Above!, Mr. Topaze, The Mouse that Roared, and Soft Beds, Hard Battles, and also was the make-up visual supervisor in the Superman films.

His wife Kay assisted her husband on several occasions; their son Graham was also a prolific make-up artist before his death in 1986.

In the Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace DVD, in one of the web documentaries, he was awarded a statue by the team at Lucasfilm.

Personal life

Freeborn died on 5 February 2013 at the age of 98 in London. His wife Kay died in 2012. Freeborn's three sons—Roger, Ray and Graham—also predeceased him. Freeborn had eight grandchildren and several great-grandchildren.

Selected filmography

• The Thief of Bagdad (1940, uncredited makeup artist)
• Oliver Twist (1948, makeup artist – as Stuart Freebourne)
• The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957, makeup artist)
• A King in New York (1957, makeup artist)
• Dr. Strangelove (1964, makeup artist – as Stewart Freeborn)
• 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968, makeup)
• Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (1972, makeup artist)
• The Omen (1976, chief makeup artist)
• Star Wars
  • Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope (1977, makeup supervisor and uncredited creature design supervisor)
  • The Empire Strikes Back (1980, makeup and special creature designer)
  • Return of the Jedi (1983, makeup designer and creature design)
• Superman
  • Superman (1978, creative supervisor of makeup & special visuals)
  • Superman II (1980, makeup artist)
  • Superman III (1983, makeup artist)
  • Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987, makeup supervisor)

References

References

1. (2012-03-04). "Star Wars make-up artist Stuart Freeborn dies aged 98". BBC News.
2. (July 2021). "Stuart Freeborn – the man who designed Yoda – dies at 98". gnnaz.com.
3. [https://www.theguardian.com/film/2013/feb/07/stuart-freeborn-yoda-maker-dies "Stuart Freeborn, Yoda's maker, dies"].The Guardian. 7 February 2013. Retrieved 8 February 2013.
4. Hauptfuhrer, Fred. (9 June 1980). "Yoda Mania: America Falls in Love with the 26–Inch, Green, Pointy-Eared Sage and his Master Puppeteer, Frank Oz". [[People (magazine).
5. Day, Patrick Kevin. (7 February 2013). "'Star Wars': Frank Oz on Stuart Freeborn, the legend behind Yoda". The Los Angeles Times.
6. [http://www.torontosun.com/2013/02/06/yoda-chewbacca-star-wars-makeup-artist-stuart-freeborn-dead-at-98 "Yoda, Chewbacca 'Star Wars' makeup artist Stuart Freeborn dead at 98"]. Toronto Sun. Retrieved 7 February 2013
7. [https://www.thetimes.com/article/british-make-up-artist-stuart-freeborn-who-created-yoda-dies-aged-98-68m9l27kntf "British make-up artist Stuart Freeborn, who created Yoda, dies aged 98"]. The Times. Retrieved 7 February 2013
8. He oversaw the design of the original [[Jabba the Hutt]] puppet used in ''[[Return of the Jedi]]'' as well as the creation of the [[Ewoks]].[https://edition.cnn.com/2013/02/06/showbiz/obit-star-wars-stuart-freeborn/index.html "Makeup master Stuart Freeborn of 'Star Wars' dead at age 98"]. CNN. Retrieved 8 February 2013
9. (7 February 2013). "Stuart Freeborn". The Daily Telegraph.
10. "Stuart Freeborn, makeup artist behind 'Star Wars' characters Yoda and Chewbacca, dies at 98". WDBJ TV.