Paul Engelen, ‘Phantom Menace,’ ‘Gladiator’ and ‘Game of Thrones’ Makeup Designer, Dies at 75

Paul Engelen, ‘Phantom Menace,’ ‘Gladiator’ and ‘Game of Thrones’ Makeup Designer, Dies at 75

As a die-hard film buff and makeup enthusiast, I am deeply saddened by the passing of Paul Engelen. His work was nothing short of magical, transforming some of our favorite characters into iconic figures that will live on forever in cinema history. From the gritty streets of Gotham City to the grandeur of Gladiator’s Rome, his artistry brought an unparalleled level of realism and depth to the silver screen.


Paul Engelen, the acclaimed British makeup artist who garnered two Emmys and two Oscar nods during an illustrious career marked by work on films like Reds, Batman, The Phantom Menace, Gladiator, and Game of Thrones, has sadly passed away. He was 75 years old.

Engelen passed away on November 3, due to cancer, at his residence in West Sussex, England. This information was shared by his son-in-law and fellow makeup artist, Daniel Lawson Johnston, with The Hollywood Reporter.

Engelen was the makeup artist who worked on three James Bond characters portrayed by Roger Moore, Pierce Brosnan, and Daniel Craig in the movies “The Man With the Golden Gun” (1974), “The Spy Who Loved Me” (1977), “Moonraker” (1979), “Die Another Day” (2002), “Casino Royale” (2006) and “Quantum of Solace” (2008).

He collaborated with Blake Edwards on the films Victor/Victoria (1982), Trail of the Pink Panther (1982), and Curse of the Pink Panther (1983); with Steven Spielberg on Empire of the Sun (1987) and Munich (2005); and with Ridley Scott on Gladiator (2000), Kingdom of Heaven (2005), and Robin Hood (2010).

In 1984, Engelen received his first Academy Award nomination for Best Makeup alongside Rick Baker, for their work on the film “Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes,” directed by Hugh Hudson. His second nomination came in 1994, which he shared with Daniel Parker and Carol Hemming, for their efforts on “Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein,” directed by Kenneth Branagh. However, on both Oscar nights, he was not the winner, as “Amadeus” and “Ed Wood” took home the awards respectively.

In 2006, Frankenstein, where Robert De Niro portrayed the creature, was a challenging project for him. “It was grueling,” he reminisced, “and undoubtedly one of the most difficult films I’ve been involved with, particularly from a makeup standpoint. The workday never ends when you start at 3 am every morning, spending hours in the makeup chair to prepare the actors. It’s incredibly demanding and exhausting, as both the application and removal of the makeup take time, and it’s crucial that it’s done correctly.

In 2002, Engelen served as the makeup artist for Nicole Kidman during her iconic transformation involving a three-piece prosthetic nose, a role that eventually earned her an Oscar win for her performance in Stephen Daldry’s film, “The Hours.” Additionally, Engelen was both a makeup designer and hair designer on Anthony Minghella’s movie, “Cold Mountain” (2003), where Renée Zellweger delivered an award-winning performance.

Additionally, he designed the third nipple on the character Scaramanga (portrayed by Christopher Lee) from the movie “The Man With the Golden Gun” and the red and black appearance for the antagonist Darth Maul in “George Lucas’ Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace (1999).

Engelen was nominated for six Emmys during the first three seasons of HBO’s grand series, “Game of Thrones”. He won two Emmys in 2012 and 2013 respectively.

Born on October 30, 1949, in Walton-on-Thames, Surrey, England, Paul Engelen was the youngest of four siblings. At seventeen years old, he began his studies at Twickenham Art College. During this time, he crossed paths with makeup artist Tom Smith, who later hired him as an assistant for Carol Reed’s film “Oliver!” (1968), Clive Donner’s “Alfred the Great” (1969), and Roman Polanski’s “Macbeth” (1971).

He ended up working on 11 movies alongside Moore and invested a staggering 45 weeks in the production of the film “Reds,” directed by Warren Beatty in 1981.

Beyond his work on Tim Burton’s Batman (1989), Engelen’s resume featured a diverse array of films including Milos Forman’s Ragtime (1981), Alan Parker’s Pink Floyd — The Wall (1982), Frank Oz’s Little Shop of Horrors (1986), Kevin Reynolds’ Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991), Renny Harlin’s Cutthroat Island (1995), Phillip Noyce’s The Saint (1997), Jean-Jacques Annaud’s Seven Years in Tibet (1997), Simon West’s Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001), Wolfgang Petersen’s Troy (2004), Brett Ratner’s Hercules (2014), Paul Thomas Anderson’s Phantom Thread (2017), and many others.

Beyond just mentioning Lawson Johnston, whose upcoming work includes “Gladiator II” and numerous collaborations with his father-in-law and mentor, let me tell you about Engelen’s family circle. I’m proud to call them mine too, as my wife, Lizzie, whom I first encountered in kindergarten, is part of this wonderful group. Alongside her, we have our daughters, Samantha and Georgiana, and four precious grandchildren who bring joy to our lives.

Rhett Bartlett contributed to this report.

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2024-11-12 16:25