| John Chambers | |
|---|---|
| Born | September 12, 1923 Chicago, Illinois |
| Died | August 25, 2001 (aged 77) Woodland Hills, California |
| Occupation | Make-up artist |
John Chambers (September 12, 1923 – August 25, 2001) was a famous make-up artist who became a veteran in both television and film.
Following service as a medical technician during World War II, Chambers found employment repairing faces[1] and making prosthetic limbs for wounded veterans at the United States Department of Veterans Affairs hospital at Hines, Illinois.[2]
In 1953 he joined the NBC American television network working for many live shows for a six-year period. He worked on his first movie, Around the World in Eighty Days, then joined Universal Pictures. He attracted attention for his work in The List of Adrian Messenger that featured the gimmick of having the audience guess which famous stars were under Chambers' makeup. Chambers also worked on The Munsters and The Outer Limits TV series.
His work became known worldwide in the Planet of the Apes series, for which he won a special Academy Award. Chambers worked on the pilot of Mission Impossible and created the pointed ears worn by Leonard Nimoy in the original Star Trek television series.
For his work in movies, Chambers has a "star" on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
John Chambers was also given the highest civilian award from the CIA for his help with numerous transformations.[3][4] Some of his work can be seen at the International Spy Museum in Washington D.C. He also set up the cover story of a film crew planning to shoot a science fiction film in Iran for his special effects colleague Tony Mendez in order to rescue some American embassy personnel who escaped capture by the Iranian militants in November 1979.[5]
Chambers was also accused of creating the Sasquatch in the Patterson-Gimlin film, a charge he denied.[6]