Jack Dawn
- Known for
- Costume & Make-Up
- Born
- February 10, 1892
- Died
- June 20, 1961 (aged 69)
- Birthplace
- Fleming, Kentucky, USA
Biography
Jack Dawn (February 10, 1892 - June 20, 1961) was an American make-up artist whose career spanned thirty-seven years. He worked on more than two hundred films, many of them regarded as classics by historians and moviegoers alike. As a boy living on a Kentucky farm, Dawn chopped faces in sandstone he found on the banks of a nearby creek, using a chisel, a hammer, and a spoon. He eventually gravitated to Hollywood, where he found work as an extra, portraying an Indian brave for $3 a day. He served with the British during World War I, then returned to the American film capital to work as a make-up assistant and part-time actor at Universal Pictures. One of his first creations was a stiff, uncomfortable mask he wore in the role of an ape in 1925. In order to make masks that were more elastic and lifelike, he began to experiment with a variety of materials. After nine years of research while working at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, he developed a synthetic plastic he called vinylite resin for which he received a patent. Its first application was used to create the Chinese faces for the mostly white cast of The Good Earth in 1937. Two years later, Dawn was assigned the task of giving life to three non-human characters - a scarecrow, a tin man, and a lion - in MGM's now-classic musical film The Wizard of Oz, based on L. Frank Baum's novel. He also created the green makeup for Wicked Witch of the West Margaret Hamilton and multiple looks for Frank Morgan, who portrayed five different characters in the film, as well as for the Munchkins. His work resulted in some of the most recognizable makeup designs ever created for a Hollywood production. In 1943, Dawn approached the San Diego Naval Hospital with an offer to help World War II soldiers whose faces and hands had been disfigured in battle. He created inlays that helped patients appear normal between multiple plastic surgery operations. Dawn worked with many of Hollywood's legendary performers, including Laurel and Hardy, Greta Garbo, Mickey Rooney, Judy Garland, Bert Lahr, Ray Bolger, Jack Haley, Greer Garson, Clark Gable, Spencer Tracy, Katharine Hepburn, Lucille Ball, Ingrid Bergman, Elizabeth Taylor, Frank Sinatra, Gene Kelly, Ginger Rogers, Lana Turner, Fred Astaire, and Betty Hutton. Dawn died in Glendale, California, five years after retiring from films. He was buried with an unmarked grave in Glendale's Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery.
Known For
Filmography
Duchess of Idaho
Movie · Makeup Artist
Ambush
Movie · Makeup Artist
Nancy Goes to Rio
Movie · Makeup Artist
The Reformer and the Redhead
Movie · Makeup Designer
Annie Get Your Gun
Movie · Makeup Artist
The Asphalt Jungle
Movie · Makeup Designer
Mystery Street
Movie · Makeup Designer
Stars in My Crown
Movie · Makeup Artist
Side Street
Movie · Makeup Supervisor
Black Hand
Movie · Makeup Artist
Please Believe Me
Movie · Makeup Artist
Shadow on the Wall
Movie · Makeup Artist
The Big Hangover
Movie · Makeup Artist
Right Cross
Movie · Makeup Designer
Father of the Bride
Movie · Makeup Designer
Three Little Words
Movie · Makeup Artist
The Outriders
Movie · Makeup Designer
Devil's Doorway
Movie · Makeup Designer
The Stratton Story
Movie · Makeup Designer
That Forsyte Woman
Movie · Makeup Designer
The Red Danube
Movie · Makeup Artist
Battleground
Movie · Makeup Artist
Challenge to Lassie
Movie · Makeup Designer
Neptune's Daughter
Movie · Makeup Artist
In the Good Old Summertime
Movie · Makeup Designer
The Great Sinner
Movie · Makeup Designer
Adam's Rib
Movie · Makeup Designer
On the Town
Movie · Makeup Artist
Take Me Out to the Ball Game
Movie · Makeup Designer
Madame Bovary
Movie · Makeup Artist
Border Incident
Movie · Makeup Designer
Act of Violence
Movie · Makeup Designer
Intruder in the Dust
Movie · Makeup Artist
Tension
Movie · Makeup Designer
The Barkleys of Broadway
Movie · Makeup Designer
Little Women
Movie · Makeup Artist
Hills of Home
Movie · Makeup Designer
The Three Musketeers
Movie · Makeup Designer
Big City
Movie · Makeup Artist
Julia Misbehaves
Movie · Makeup Artist
Summer Holiday
Movie · Makeup Artist
The Pirate
Movie · Makeup Artist
Easter Parade
Movie · Makeup Designer
The Kissing Bandit
Movie · Makeup Designer
A Date with Judy
Movie · Makeup Artist
Good News
Movie · Makeup Designer
The Arnelo Affair
Movie · Makeup Artist
The Sea of Grass
Movie · Makeup Artist
The Unfinished Dance
Movie · Makeup Designer
Desire Me
Movie · Makeup Designer
The Hucksters
Movie · Makeup Designer
The Romance of Rosy Ridge
Movie · Makeup Designer
Dark Delusion
Movie · Makeup Designer
Cynthia
Movie · Makeup Artist
Song of the Thin Man
Movie · Makeup Designer
Green Dolphin Street
Movie · Makeup Designer
Undercover Maisie
Movie · Makeup Artist
The Harvey Girls
Movie · Makeup Designer
The Hoodlum Saint
Movie · Makeup Artist
Two Smart People
Movie · Makeup Artist
Easy to Wed
Movie · Makeup Artist
Undercurrent
Movie · Makeup Designer
The Postman Always Rings Twice
Movie · Makeup Artist
Two Sisters from Boston
Movie · Makeup Designer
Lady in the Lake
Movie · Makeup Artist
The Yearling
Movie · Makeup Designer
Till the Clouds Roll By
Movie · Makeup Designer
Yolanda and the Thief
Movie · Makeup Artist
Son of Lassie
Movie · Makeup Designer
Bud Abbott and Lou Costello in Hollywood
Movie · Makeup Designer
She Went to the Races
Movie · Makeup Artist
The Valley of Decision
Movie · Makeup Designer
Ziegfeld Follies
Movie · Makeup Designer
Thrill of a Romance
Movie · Makeup Designer
National Velvet
Movie · Makeup Artist
They Were Expendable
Movie · Makeup & Hair
Anchors Aweigh
Movie · Makeup Designer
The Picture of Dorian Gray
Movie · Makeup Designer
Mrs. Parkington
Movie · Makeup Designer
Kismet
Movie · Makeup Designer
Bathing Beauty
Movie · Makeup Designer
Gaslight
Movie · Makeup Designer
The Canterville Ghost
Movie · Makeup Designer
Meet Me in St. Louis
Movie · Makeup Designer
The White Cliffs of Dover
Movie · Makeup Designer
The Human Comedy
Movie · Makeup Artist
Keeper of the Flame
Movie · Makeup Artist
The Man from Down Under
Movie · Makeup Designer
Bataan
Movie · Makeup Artist
Above Suspicion
Movie · Makeup Designer
Thousands Cheer
Movie · Makeup Designer
Lassie Come Home
Movie · Makeup Artist
Tortilla Flat
Movie · Makeup Artist
The Vanishing Virginian
Movie · Makeup Designer
Nazi Agent
Movie · Makeup Artist
For Me and My Gal
Movie · Makeup Designer
White Cargo
Movie · Makeup Designer
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
Movie · Makeup Artist
Ziegfeld Girl
Movie · Makeup Designer
The Philadelphia Story
Movie · Makeup Artist
Pride and Prejudice
Movie · Makeup Artist
20 Mule Team
Movie · Makeup Designer
Little Nellie Kelly
Movie · Makeup Designer
Strange Cargo
Movie · Makeup Artist
Comrade X
Movie · Makeup Artist
Escape
Movie · Makeup Designer
Goodbye, Mr. Chips
Movie · Makeup Artist
Miracles for Sale
Movie · Makeup Artist
Broadway Serenade
Movie · Makeup Artist
Ninotchka
Movie · Makeup Designer
Stand Up and Fight
Movie · Makeup Designer
On Borrowed Time
Movie · Makeup Artist
Joe and Ethel Turp Call on the President
Movie · Makeup Artist
The Wizard of Oz
Movie · Makeup Designer
Boys Town
Movie · Makeup Artist
Marie Antoinette
Movie · Makeup Artist
Way Out West
Movie · Makeup Artist
Conquest
Movie · Makeup Artist
Trouble for Two
Movie · Makeup Artist
Mark of the Vampire
Movie · Makeup Artist
The Big Trail
Movie · Makeup Artist