Monte Westmore
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Montague "Monte" Westmore (22 July 1902 – 30 March 1940) was a Hollywood
make-up artist A make-up artist, also called a makeup artist, and often shortened to MUA, is an artist whose medium is the human body, applying makeup and prosthetics on others for theatre, television, film, fashion, magazines and other similar productions inc ...
, the eldest of six sons of
George Westmore George Henry Westmore (27 June 1879 – 12 July 1931) was an English hairdresser who emigrated to the United States with his family, including several relatives who became prominent in Hollywood. Specializing in wig-making, and later make-up, he ...
. He worked for both the
Famous Players-Lasky Famous Players-Lasky Corporation was an American motion picture and distribution company formed on June 28, 1916, from the merger of Adolph Zukor's Famous Players Film Company—originally formed by Zukor as Famous Players in Famous Plays—and ...
studio and
Selznick International Pictures Selznick International Pictures was a Hollywood motion picture studio created by David O. Selznick in 1935, and dissolved in 1943. In its short existence the independent studio produced two films that received the Academy Award for Best Picture— ...
. He was the head of the makeup department at Selznick and worked on films including ''
Gone with the Wind Gone with the Wind most often refers to: * ''Gone with the Wind'' (novel), a 1936 novel by Margaret Mitchell * ''Gone with the Wind'' (film), the 1939 adaptation of the novel Gone with the Wind may also refer to: Music * ''Gone with the Wind'' ...
'' (1939) and '' Rebecca'' (1940). His death from a heart attack following a
tonsillectomy Tonsillectomy is a list of surgical procedures, surgical procedure in which both palatine tonsils are fully removed from the back of the throat. The procedure is mainly performed for recurrent tonsillitis, throat infections and obstructive sleep ...
has been credited to the heavy workload on ''Gone with the Wind''. He had three sons, Marvin,
Michael Michael may refer to: People * Michael (given name), a given name * Michael (surname), including a list of people with the surname Michael Given name "Michael" * Michael (archangel), ''first'' of God's archangels in the Jewish, Christian an ...
, and
Monty Monty is a masculine given name, often a short form of Montgomery, Montague and other similar names. It is also a surname. Notable people with the name or nickname include: First name Nickname * Bernard Montgomery (1887–1976), British Secon ...
, all of whom also became make-up artists.


Biography

Monte was a member of the
Westmore family The Westmore Family is a prominent family in Hollywood make-up. Led by their patriarch, George Westmore, the family has had four generations serve Hollywood as make-up artists in various capacities since George's establishment of Hollywood's fir ...
and the oldest of
George Westmore George Henry Westmore (27 June 1879 – 12 July 1931) was an English hairdresser who emigrated to the United States with his family, including several relatives who became prominent in Hollywood. Specializing in wig-making, and later make-up, he ...
's six sons. He was born in
Newport, Isle of Wight Newport is the county town of the Isle of Wight, an island county off the south coast of England. The town is slightly north of the centre of the island, and is in the civil parish of Newport and Carisbrooke. It has a quay at the head of the na ...
. Monte was the first of them to leave home, and in 1920 he began to work first in a
lumber mill A sawmill (saw mill, saw-mill) or lumber mill is a facility where logs are cut into lumber. Modern sawmills use a motorized saw to cut logs lengthwise to make long pieces, and crosswise to length depending on standard or custom sizes (dimensi ...
and then as a
busboy In North America, a busser, more commonly known as a busboy or busgirl, is a person who works in the restaurant and catering industry clearing tables, taking dirty dishes to the dishwasher, setting tables, refilling and otherwise assisting the ...
at the
Famous Players-Lasky Famous Players-Lasky Corporation was an American motion picture and distribution company formed on June 28, 1916, from the merger of Adolph Zukor's Famous Players Film Company—originally formed by Zukor as Famous Players in Famous Plays—and ...
studio. His brothers were Perc, Ern,
Wally Wally may refer to: Music * Wally (band), British prog rock band ** ''Wally'' (album), a 1974 album by Wally * ''La Wally'', an opera by Alfredo Catalani Other uses *Wally (given name), a list of people and fictional characters *WALLY, a propose ...
,
Bud In botany, a bud is an undeveloped or embryonic shoot and normally occurs in the axil of a leaf or at the tip of a stem. Once formed, a bud may remain for some time in a dormant condition, or it may form a shoot immediately. Buds may be spec ...
and
Frank Frank or Franks may refer to: People * Frank (given name) * Frank (surname) * Franks (surname) * Franks, a medieval Germanic people * Frank, a term in the Muslim world for all western Europeans, particularly during the Crusades - see Farang Curr ...
, who all went on to work in makeup departments in Hollywood based studios. The family would gain a combined star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2008. He worked on '' The Sheik'' (1921) and convinced actor Rudolph Valentino to allow him to do his makeup creating the clean Latin look in the process. He continued to be Valentino's makeup artist until the actor's death in 1926, and afterwards did freelance work with
Gloria Swanson Gloria May Josephine Swanson (March 27, 1899April 4, 1983) was an American actress and producer. She first achieved fame acting in dozens of silent films in the 1920s and was nominated three times for the Academy Award for Best Actress, most f ...
,
Clara Bow Clara Gordon Bow (; July 29, 1905 – September 27, 1965) was an American actress who rose to stardom during the silent film era of the 1920s and successfully made the transition to "talkies" in 1929. Her appearance as a plucky shopgirl in the ...
and
Sonia Henie Sonja Henie (8 April 1912 – 12 October 1969) was a Norwegian figure skater and film star. She was a three-time Olympic champion (1928, 1932, 1936) in women's singles, a ten-time World champion (1927–1936) and a six-time European champion ...
. He was also responsible for making actor
H. B. Warner Henry Byron Warner (born Henry Byron Lickfold, 26 October 1876 – 21 December 1958) was an English film and theatre actor. He was popular during the silent era and played Jesus Christ in '' The King of Kings''. In later years, he successfu ...
control his drinking habit during the production of '' The King of Kings'' (1927), as he kept feeding the actor cod liver oil until he vomited whenever he turned up for his makeup whilst drunk. After several weeks, Warner stopped drinking. His work on ''
Mutiny on the Bounty The mutiny on the Royal Navy vessel occurred in the South Pacific Ocean on 28 April 1789. Disaffected crewmen, led by acting-Lieutenant Fletcher Christian, seized control of the ship from their captain, Lieutenant William Bligh, and set h ...
'' (1935) led to him being hired as the head of the makeup department at
Selznick International Pictures Selznick International Pictures was a Hollywood motion picture studio created by David O. Selznick in 1935, and dissolved in 1943. In its short existence the independent studio produced two films that received the Academy Award for Best Picture— ...
. He also worked at the Oddie Beauty Salon, where he coached Constance Nichols who went on to become the personal hairstylist for several Hollywood actors and actresses. ''Mutiny on the Bounty'' resulted in Monte being the head of the makeup department for ''
Gone with the Wind Gone with the Wind most often refers to: * ''Gone with the Wind'' (novel), a 1936 novel by Margaret Mitchell * ''Gone with the Wind'' (film), the 1939 adaptation of the novel Gone with the Wind may also refer to: Music * ''Gone with the Wind'' ...
'' (1939), ''
Intermezzo In music, an intermezzo (, , plural form: intermezzi), in the most general sense, is a composition which fits between other musical or dramatic entities, such as acts of a play or movements of a larger musical work. In music history, the term ha ...
'' (1939) and '' Rebecca'' (1940). He personally did the makeup for
Scarlett O'Hara Katie Scarlett O'Hara Hamilton Kennedy Butler is a fictional character and the protagonist in Margaret Mitchell's 1936 novel ''Gone with the Wind'' and in the 1939 film of the same name, where she is portrayed by Vivien Leigh. She also is the ...
in the screentests for ''Gone with the Wind'' and also oversaw the makeup on the extras seen in the film. He did not receive any screen credit for his work on the film, as makeup artists were not regularly given such credit until the following decade. The amount of work on ''Gone with the Wind'' has been credited with leading to his death. In 1940, he underwent a
tonsillectomy Tonsillectomy is a list of surgical procedures, surgical procedure in which both palatine tonsils are fully removed from the back of the throat. The procedure is mainly performed for recurrent tonsillitis, throat infections and obstructive sleep ...
, and following the operation he had a fatal heart attack on 30 March, a few months after the release of the film. Monte had three sons, including
Michael Westmore Michael George Westmore I (born March 22, 1938) is an American make-up artist best known for his work in various ''Star Trek'' productions, winning nine Emmy Awards, and is a member of the Westmore family. He won the Academy Award for Make-up in ...
, who won an
Oscar Oscar, OSCAR, or The Oscar may refer to: People * Oscar (given name), an Irish- and English-language name also used in other languages; the article includes the names Oskar, Oskari, Oszkár, Óscar, and other forms. * Oscar (Irish mythology) ...
for Best Makeup for the film ''
Mask A mask is an object normally worn on the face, typically for protection, disguise, performance, or entertainment and often they have been employed for rituals and rights. Masks have been used since antiquity for both ceremonial and pra ...
'' (1985), and nine Emmy Awards. His son
Monty Westmore Montague George "Monty" Westmore (June 12, 1923 – November 13, 2007) was part of the third generation of the Westmore family of American make-up artists in film and television who worked on over 75 films and television series since 1950. He ...
was also nominated for both an Academy Award and Emmy Award. His third son was
Marvin Westmore Marvin George Westmore (December 24, 1934 – November 28, 2020) was an American make-up artist in Hollywood, and part of the famed Westmore family. The son of Monte Westmore, he ran the Westmore Academy and was the Founder & CEO of the George W ...
, the founder and CEO of the George Westmore Research Library & Museum.


Partial filmography

* '' The Sheik'' (1921) * '' The King of Kings'' (1927) * '' Forbidden'' (1932) * ''
The Crusades The Crusades were a series of religious wars initiated, supported, and sometimes directed by the Latin Church in the medieval period. The best known of these Crusades are those to the Holy Land in the period between 1095 and 1291 that were i ...
'' (1935) * ''
Gone with the Wind Gone with the Wind most often refers to: * ''Gone with the Wind'' (novel), a 1936 novel by Margaret Mitchell * ''Gone with the Wind'' (film), the 1939 adaptation of the novel Gone with the Wind may also refer to: Music * ''Gone with the Wind'' ...
'' (1939) * ''
Intermezzo In music, an intermezzo (, , plural form: intermezzi), in the most general sense, is a composition which fits between other musical or dramatic entities, such as acts of a play or movements of a larger musical work. In music history, the term ha ...
'' (1939) * '' Rebecca'' (1940)


References


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Westmore, Monte 1902 births 1940 deaths British make-up artists Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale) Monte