- Master wig-maker, Stuart Artingstall is an Englishman but came to the United States to work in Hollywood. Known for his memorable "Old age Dracula" wig built for Gary Oldman and designed by Michele Burke in the movie "Bram Stoker's Dracula" (1992). Every wig was "built" by hand, with many hours of painstaking work to hand-thread each hair into the base individually. This is an time-consuming and very expensive technique.
He is also known for building authentic fur for movie creatures both real and imagined. He created the fur for "Gorillas in the Mist" (1988), "Harry and the Hendersons" (1987) and "Quest for Fire" (1981).
Artingstall still works on films occasionally and also builds wigs for private clients. He lives in Palm Springs, California.- IMDb Mini Biography By: R. Christian Anderson - Stuart was born on July 3, 1950. He left school at 18 and went to Bristol for an intensive 6-month hairdressing course knowing that it was theatrical hair and wigs that he was interested in. His older sister, Sah, was working at the Royal Shakespeare Company in wigs at the time also. After leaving Bristol he joined the RSC as a dresser and quickly moved into the hair and makeup department. He joined Prospect Theatre Company as their wig master touring the UK and the world with the company. Stuart transitioned into the film industry making wigs and punching hair for the Jim Henson Company on "The Muppet Movie" and served as Wig & Hair Department Head on "Dark Crystal". When he moved to the U.S. he was in great demand as a prolific wig making, hair puncher and hair suit creator working with Rick Baker, Greg Cannom, Stan Winston & Matthew Mungle, among many others. His credits included "Quest for Fire", "Return to Oz", "Labyrinth", "Harry and the Hendersons", "Gorillas in the Mist", "Bram Stoker's Dracula", "Congo", "The Island of Dr. Moreau" among many others. He also created wigs for Michael Jackson Stuart had an amazing wit, sense of humor and was a joy to work with. His partner/husband, Ian Harper, and he moved to Palm Springs in 2002 and owned a men's only motel, Chaps Inn, until Ian's passing in May of 2022. They were together for 39 years. Stuart passed away peacefully in Palm Springs on November 22, 2023.- IMDb Mini Biography By: Matthew W. Mungle
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