Mel Berns

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Mel Berns (September 27, 1897 - May 7, 1977) [1] was an American make-up artist. He was the Head of Makeup at RKO Pictures for more than twenty years.

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Career

Berns began his career in the entertainment industry while working as an agent at the William Morris Agency. [2] Later he became the Head of Makeup at RKO Pictures for more than twenty years, [3] creating the makeup for Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers and Katharine Hepburn's screentest. He was a lifelong friend of Ginger Rogers, who makes ample reference to their friendship in her autobiography: Ginger: My Story. [4]

He worked extensively in television after leaving RKO, notably the Perry Mason series. "The crew is giving it the best of Hollywood's techniques," Burr told columnist Erskine Johnson. [5] The crew included veteran make-up artist Berns.

The baseball player Babe Ruth had severe scarring from acne on his face. Mel Berns developed makeup for Ruth so that Ruth could feel more comfortable in public. A picture of Ruth and Berns shows Ruth in a smock and Berns applying makeup to his face. The picture is autographed to Berns by Babe Ruth.

Film credits

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References

  1. ↑ "Mel Berns Jr., TV and Film Make-up Artist, Dies at 71". Make-Up Artist Magazine. July 21, 2011. Retrieved September 17, 2017.
  2. ↑ Lentz, H.M. (2012). Obituaries in the Performing Arts, 2011. Lentz’s Performing Arts Obituaries. McFarland, Incorporated, Publishers. p. 29. ISBN   978-0-7864-9134-6 . Retrieved September 17, 2017.
  3. ↑ "Makeup artist Mel Berns Jr. dies at 71". Variety. Retrieved September 17, 2017.
  4. ↑ Rogers, G. (1992). Ginger: My Story. G. K. Hall large print book series (in Danish). G.K. Hall. ISBN   978-0-8161-5436-4 . Retrieved September 17, 2017.
  5. ↑ Johnson, Erskine (August 16, 1957). "Perry Mason Ready to Challenge Como". The Brownsville Herald (Newspaper Enterprise Association)
  6. 1 2 Kinnard, R.; Crnkovich, T. (2013). The Films of Fay Wray. McFarland, Incorporated, Publishers. p. 87. ISBN   978-1-4766-0415-2 . Retrieved September 17, 2017.
  7. ↑ "Professional Sweetheart". 9 June 1933 – via IMDb.


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