Makeup artist William J(ulian) “Bill” Tuttle died 27 July 2007 of complications related to old age. Born on 13 April 1912, in Jacksonville, Florida, he won an honorary Academy Award (Oscar) in 1965 for his outstanding makeup achievement for 7 Faces of Dr. Lao. According to film critic Kevin Thomas, that Oscar “marked the beginning of makeup really being recognized and focused attention on the field.”
He worked for Twentieth Century Pictures, and then when his mentor, Jack Dawn, moved to MGM. Tuttle went with him. He stayed with MGM for 35 years, running the makeup department for more than 20. He also taught at the University of Southern California from 1970 to 1995.
Among his more than 300 film and television credits were many genre productions, including:
Love at First Bite (1979), The Fury (1978), Logan’s Run (1976), Young Frankenstein (1974), So Evil, My Sister (1974), The Night Strangler (1973), Necromancy (1972), Men of the Wolf (1972), What’s the Matter with Helen? (1971), The Power (1968), The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm (1962), Atlantis, the Lost Continent (1961), The Time Machine (1960), and Tarzan, the Ape Man (1959). His first Hollywood work was as an uncredited assistant makup artist on 1935’s Mark of the Vampire, followed by 1939’s The Wizard of Oz. He also worked on 12 episodes of The Twilight Zone, including: “Long Live Walter Jameson” (1960), “The After Hours” (1960), “Eye of the Beholder” (1960), “Will the Real Martian Please Stand Up?” (1961), “Five Characters in Search of an Exit” (1961), “Hocus-Pocus and Frisby” (1962), “The Trade-Ins” (1962), “The Dummy” (1962), “The Changing of the Guard” (1962), “Steel” (1963), “Nightmare at 20,000 Feet” (1963), and “The Masks” (1964).
His full filmography is available here.
Tuttle’s first wife (of five) was actress Donna Reed, to whom he was married 1945-47. He is survived by his wife of 40 years, Anita A. Tuttle, and his daughter, Teresa.