Tom Savini
Thomas Antonio Savini (born November 3, 1946 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) is an award-winning actor, stunt man, director and special effects and makeup artist. He is best known for his work on the Living Dead films directed by George A. Romero, as well as Friday the 13th, Creepshow and Maniac. He directed the remake of Night of the Living Dead in 1990. Though "officially" retired from special effects, he has continued to direct, produce, and star in several movies. Savini has been known to refer any movie make-up effects projects to his newly graduated students (see SCHOOLS).
Special effects
Tom Savini is primarily known for his groundbreaking work in the field of special makeup effects. He got his breakthrough working with Pittsburgh filmmaker George A. Romero, providing a typical, if rudimentary, wrist slashing effect in the opening scenes of Martin (1977). The next year, working with an expanded budget on Dawn of the Dead Savini created his signature palate of severed limbs and bite-marks. The gore effects in Dawn have been widely imitated, but never bettered for sheer visceral impact, with the possible exception of Savini's own work in the (otherwise less successful) Day of the Dead (1985).
Savini has also done work on films by Dario Argento and Tobe Hooper and his signature realism livens the otherwise plodding genre work of such films as Maniac (1980), which incidentally contains the "infamous" shotgun scene.
Perhaps Savini's most infamous special effects credit goes to his work in the first installment of Friday the 13th
Film and TV appearances
Savini has noted the fact that most of the characters he has played are bikers.
He played a relatively straight, innocuous character in Martin (1977), but in 1978, he played the considerably rougher 'Blades' in 1978's Dawn of the Dead, which he reprised with a cameo in the 2005 continuation of the series, Land of the Dead. He also had a cameo in the 2004 remake of Dawn. He had a small role as a motorcycle rider in The Boy Who Loved Trolls in (1984)
Tom also starred in a much more prominent role as biker/Renaissance Fair group member Morgan in George Romero's Knightriders. (1981)
He also played the character of "Sex Machine" in the Quentin Tarantino/Robert Rodriguez film From Dusk Till Dawn.
He appeared in animated form in an episode of The Simpsons, in which he makes an appearance at the comic store The Android's Dungeon. His demonstrations include eating a french fry which makes his stomach explode, separating and reattaching his head from his body, and humiliating the obese proprietor, Comic Book Guy, who then suffers a heart attack.
Military service
Savini served in Vietnam as a combat photographer where the gore and death he was surrounded by influenced his move into makeup and effects work on his return to the US.
In 1970, on guard duty, a flare was triggered in the jungle area he was watching over. Against protocol, which stated that he should inform a superior before taking action, Savini began to fire into the bush. Other soldiers and bunkers joined in until a duck wandered out of the undergrowth completely unharmed. Due to his failure to follow orders, Savini was taken off guard duty the following evening. The bunker he had been in was attacked that night and several soldiers were killed. Savini earned the nickname "Duck Slayer" and to this day will not eat duck (source: Interview with Savini in Bizarre, Feb 2006).
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Schools
Tom Savini runs the Special Effects Make-Up program at the Douglas Education Center in Monessen, Pennsylvania. Along with Savini is the association of Dick Smith, who incorporates an Advanced Professional Make-Up program into the last semester of the students' education. Dick Smith is best know for his ground breaking work in the movie "The Exorcist".