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Thomas Antonio Savini (born November 3, 1946) is an American actor, stunt man, director and award-winning special effects and makeup artist.Awards listed at Internet Movie Database Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 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 1990 remake of Night of the Living Dead. Though officially retired from special effects, he has continued to direct, produce and star in several movies. Savini has been known to refer movie make-up effects projects to graduates of his school.

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 following 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 worked on films by Dario Argento and Tobe Hooper. His signature realism livens otherwise plodding genre films such as Maniac (1980), which incidentally contains the infamous "shotgun" scene.

Perhaps Savini's most noteworthy special effects occurred in the first installment of Friday the 13th.

Film and TV appearances

Savini has noted that most of the characters he has played are bikers.

He did play a relatively straight, innocuous character in Martin(1977), but played menacing biker 'Blades' in Dawn of the Dead(1978), a role he reprised with a cameo appearance in the 2005 continuation of the series, Land of the Dead. He also had a cameo as a sheriff in the 2004 remake of Dawn. Savini did have a much more prominent role as biker/Renaissance fair participant Morgan in George Romero's Knightriders(1981), and had a small role as a biker in The Boy Who Loved Trolls in (1984). He also played the whip-wielding, vampire-fighting biker 'Sex Machine' in the 1996 Quentin Tarantino/Robert Rodriguez film From Dusk Till Dawn.

In 2006, Savini essayed the role of Prester John, the mythical villain in the dreamlike Sea of Dust. 2006 also saw the release of Johannes Roberts' Demonic (a.k.a. Forest of the Damned), in which Savini played a mad hermit surrounded by angels cast from heaven.

In 2007, Savini will play a lead role in Planet Terror, one of two stories in the film Grind House. "Planet Terror" is directed by Robert Rodriguez, the other story is directed by Quentin Tarantino. He plays Sheriff Tolo, who tries to save his town from an infestation of zombies.

He also voiced himself on an episode of The Simpsons. He was making an appearance at Android's Dungeon where he performed his "Gutbuster" gag in which he covered the crowd in "blood and guts".

Military service

Savini served in Vietnam as a combat photographer where the gore and death he was surrounded by spurred his move into makeup and effects work on his return to the US.

In 1970 while Savini was on guard duty, a flare was triggered in the jungle area he was watching. Against military protocol, Savini fired into the bush without informing his superiors. Other soldiers likewise started firing until a duck wandered from the bush completely unharmed. Due to his failure to follow orders, Savini was taken off guard duty from his bunker the following evening. The bunker was attacked that very night and several soldiers were killed. Savini earned the nickname "Duck Slayer" and to this day will not eat duck.Interview in Bizarre magazine, February 2006.

Schools

Tom Savini runs the Special Effects Make-Up Program at the Douglas Education Center in Monessen, Pennsylvania. Savini is an associate of Dick Smith, who incorporates an advanced professional make-up seminar into the last semester of the program. Smith is best known for his groundbreaking work in The Exorcist.

Notes

External links

• Official website

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