Biography

Actor/SFX wizard/stuntman/director Tom Savini was born in Pittsburgh. Inspired by the film Man of a Thousand Faces (1957), a young Savini became fascinated with the magic and illusion of film. He spent his youth in his room creating characters by tirelessly practicing make-up. Later, as a combat photographer in Vietnam, Savini saw first-hand the gruesome carnage for which he later gained fame, simulating it on screen.

He has acquired a remarkable cult following among film fans, primarily due to his ground-breaking SFX in the "splatter movie" explosion of the early 1980s. Along with fellow special make-up legends Dick Smith and Rob Bottin, Savini was one of the key SFX people behind the startling make-up & EFX seen in the fantasy/horror genre films of the 1980s-'90s. Savini was heavily influenced by the remarkable silent-era actor Lon Chaney, and he sought to emulate the amazing theatrical make-up effects that were a hallmark of Chaney's career. In Savini's insightful book "Grande Illusions", he speaks of his early attempts at applying prosthetics to his face using "spearmint gum", having misinterpreted that he was meant to actually use "spirit gum"! His first work was in low-budget fare, providing SFX and make-up for independently made horror films such as Deranged: Confessions of a Necrophile (1974) and Martin (1976).

He really caught the attention of horror buffs with his grisly effects in the cult George A. Romero-directed zombie film Dawn of the Dead (1978), and then in the controversial slasher film Friday the 13th (1980), the movie generally identified as the kickstart for the aforementioned "splatter movie" genre. Savini also contributed the incredible EFX & make-up to other splatter thrillers such as Maniac (1980), The Burning (1981), Creepshow (1982) and Romero's third "Dead" film, Day of the Dead (1985) (for which he won a Saturn Award). In 1990, Savini directed his feature film debut Night of the Living Dead (1990), the remake of the original zombie-classic.

Not content with only being behind the lens, however, Savini has appeared in dozens of films, and can be seen demonstrating his capable acting skills as "Morgan, the Black Knight" in Knightriders (1981), as "Blades", one of the biker gang members in Dawn of the Dead (1978) and as "Sex Machine", another leather-clad biker--but this time with a groin-mounted gun--in the wild vampire film From Dusk Till Dawn (1996).

- IMDb Mini Biography By: firehouse44@hotmail.com

Realistic blood and gore effects, done with no preparations

Often works with George A. Romero

Father of Lia Savini.

Uncle of Melissa Savini Dunlap and Mike Savini.

Turned down Friday the 13th Part 2 (1981) to work on The Burning (1981).

Only man in Hollywood who can claim all four titles of stuntman, make-up artist, actor, and director. Only one man has come close: makeup artist, actor, stuntman Lon Chaney - Tom's influence and childhood idol.

For his stunt work, his reference is action legend Jackie Chan.

Has a haunted house, Terrormania, also located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The students from the classes he has perform and work in the haunted house.

Was supposed to play the part of the second biker in Oliver Stone's U Turn (1997), after Stone saw him in From Dusk Till Dawn (1996). But due to scheduling conflict, Stone cast his producer Richard Rutowski in that part instead.

Vietnam veteran.

Is a skilled fencer.

Provided his voice to the horror game "City of the Dead" - a spin-off to George A. Romero's Dead films, but the game's distributer Hip Interactive went bankrupt, and the game was never released (2006).

Huge fan of Professional Wrestling.

Aided the special effects department during shooting Django Unchained.

Favorite performed special effect is the helicopter zombie from Dawn of the Dead.

He is of Italian descent.

Lives in Bakersfield, California.

Older brother of Joe Savini.

Savini hasn't only had a cameo in the series "Locke & Key", he also is referenced in the show by Scot, who explains he named his amateur horror film crew the "Savini Squad".

[asked if his Vietnam experiences influence his makeup effects) I get asked that question a lot. I did see a lot of first-hand anatomically correct gore and I think the most important part of that was if we create a dead body or situation there's a certain feeling you get from seeing the real thing. If I'm creating a gory effect and I don't get the same feeling when I saw the real stuff, I'm not satisfied.

Everyone thinks Tom Savini doesn't like something unless there's blood and gore. That's stupid. My favorite movies are love stories.

My grandson is five years old and he knows who Frankenstein (1931) is. One day I will show him my bust of Jack P. Pierce and say, "You've seen what Grandad does and he made these monsters and that's why I make my monsters now."