Making Up Elvis



During Elvis' movie career his makeup work was often done by or, supervised by, one of the famous Westmore family of makeup artists.

George Westmore (1879 - 1931) was a British wigmaker who emigrated to the U.S. and began the Westmore dynasty at Metro studios in Hollywood in 1917. At that time there weren't any makeup departments at the studios and many actors did their own makeup. Westmore experimented and stablished techniques and guidelines that still exist today.

George Westmore had six sons after moving to America and he taught them the craft. They each went on to head makeup departments at the major studios. Monty, the oldest, worked for Selznick International and supervised all the makeup work for "Gone With The Wind". Perc worked at Warner Brothers and specialized in feminine beauty. Ernest worked for Twentieth Century Fox.

The three youngest sons - Wally, Bud and Frank - are the Westmores who worked with Elvis. Wally was the head of Paramount's makeup department for forty-three years. Bud was the head of Universal's department and he specialized in monster makeup. Frank the youngest, freelanced and he wrote a book about the family called "The Westmores of Hollywood".

Today, another generation of Westmores excels in the field, working on such projects as "Star Trek", "Jurassic Park", "Baywatch", "X-Files" and many others. Michael Westmore, one of George's descendants, has won nine Emmy awards for his abilities which include his much celebrated work with latex on "Star Trek". The family established the Westmore Academy of Cosmetic Arts where today new students can learn the trade.
They also started their own cosmetic line the House of Westmore. The following is a list of
the Elvis movies that the Westmores worked on:

Wally Westmore:
Loving You, 1957 (makeup artist)
King Creole, 1958 (makeup supervisor)
G.I. Blues, 1960 (makeup supervisor)
Blue Hawaii, 1961 (makeup supervisor)
Girls! Girls! Girls!, 1962 (makeup supervisor)
Fun In Acapulco, 1963 (makeup supervisor)
Roustabout 1964, (makeup supervisor)
Tickle Me 1965, (makeup artist)
Paradise, Hawaiian Style, 1966 (makeup artist)
Easy Come, Easy Go, 1967 (makeup supervisor)

Frank Westmore:
Tickle Me, 1965 (makeup artist)

Bud Westmore:
Change of Habit, 1969 (makeup artist)