Donald Post (March 14, 1902 – November 17, 1979), dubbed by many as The Godfather of

Halloween Halloween or Hallowe'en (less commonly known as Allhalloween, All Hallows' Eve, or All Saints' Eve) is a celebration observed in many countries on 31 October, the eve of the Western Christian feast of All Saints' Day. It begins the observanc ...

, created and sold some of the first

rubber mask A rubber mask is a mask made of rubber. Typically, these are made of latex or silicone rubber and designed to be pulled over the head as a form of theatrical makeup or disguise. The theatrical makeup used by Michael Crawford when he played the P ...

s, which remain popular today.

Career

In the 1970s, Post made masks of such actors as

Tor Johnson Karl Erik Tore Johansson (19 October 1902 or 1903; sources differ – 12 May 1971), better known by the stage name Tor Johnson, was a Swedish professional wrestler and actor. As an actor, Johnson appeared in many B-movies, including some famous ...

and

William Shatner William Shatner (born March 22, 1931) is a Canadian actor. In a career spanning seven decades, he is best known for his portrayal of James T. Kirk in the ''Star Trek'' franchise, from his 1965 debut as the captain of the starship USS Enterpri ...

, the latter of which was slightly altered in the 1978 film, ''

'', into the infamous Michael Myers mask. In the 1980s, Post and his company, Don Post Studios, also produced some of the rarer masks of the classic

Cenobite Cenobitic (or coenobitic) monasticism is a monastery, monastic tradition that stresses community life. Often in the West the community belongs to a religious order, and the life of the cenobitic monk is regulated by a Monastic rule, religious ru ...

s from the ''

Hellraiser ''Hellraiser'' is a 1987 British supernatural horror film written and directed by Clive Barker, and produced by Christopher Figg, based on Barker's 1986 novella ''The Hellbound Heart''. The film marked Barker's directorial debut. Its plot invol ...

'' franchise, as well as creating the masks used in the movie '' Halloween III: Season of the Witch''. The company is currently owned by the Paper Magic Group.

Notes

External links

* * 1902 births 1979 deaths Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills) 20th-century American businesspeople {{US-business-bio-1900s-stub