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Mel Berns

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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.

Career

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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

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  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. 2 July 2011. 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. ^ a b 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.