From Star Wars to Superman: Conversations with Makeup Legend Stuart Freeborn Hardcover – February 14, 2025

Between 1996-2004 entertainment journalist Joe Nazzaro conducted a series of interviews with British makeup pioneer Stuart Freeborn. Filling nearly 24 hours of tape, those conversations encompassed a wide range of topics, from Freeborn’s most popular films including Star Wars, 2001: A Space Odyssey and Superman, to his long-standing relationships with such film legends as David Lean, Peter Sellers and Sir Richard Attenborough.Those interviews have finally been collected for the first time, presenting a unique look at the British film industry through the eyes of somebody who was there from the beginning. Along the way, Freeborn also talks about the near-fatal jeep crash that left him hospitalized for several months; scaling an icy mountain peak without equipment; and unknowingly swimming in shark-infested waters- just a few of the hair-raising escapades captured in this book.Born in 1914, Stuart Freeborn’s credits include literally hundreds of films over more than 50 years, including Oliver Twist, The Bridge on The River Kwai, 10 Rillington Place, 2001: A Space Odyssey, The Omen, Dr. Strangelove, Murder on the Orient Express, Top Secret Haunted Honeymoon, four Superman films and the first three Star Wars movies. Freeborn died in 2013 at age 98.Entertainment journalist Joe Nazzaro has been covering film and television makeup for nearly four decades. In addition to a 20-year stint on Makeup Artist, he helped launch Prosthetics Magazine in 2015. He’s written countless magazine articles on the subject, as well as several makeup-related books including Star Trek and Farscape. His most recent book is a biography of makeup legend Dick Smith. Read more