George Henry Westmore

George Henry Westmore (June 27, 1879 – July 12, 1931)

Westmore 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 established the first movie make-up department in 1917. In his youth, he spent eighteen months in the British Army cavalry during the Second Boer War. Afterwards he became a hairdresser by trade, and while in England he was reported to have cut Winston Churchill's hair. After moving to the United States, he first lived in Los Angeles, and subsequently worked in beauty parlors in St. Louis, Cleveland, San Antonio and New Orleans. He returned to Los Angeles to retire where he noted that actors did their own makeup−and weren't very good at it−so in 1917 he set up the first movie make-up department at the Selig Polyscope Company, while at the same time, he made wigs, and invented the hair-lace wig. He was responsible for creating Mary Pickford's signature curls, and fake ones so that she didn't need to curl them each morning. George had six sons who went into the film make-up business, Monte, Perc, Ern, Wally, Bud and Frank, out of a total of nineteen children from his marriage to Ada Savage.

As the era of motion picture sound dawned, he saw the careers and reputations of his sons grow and eclipse his own. He became depressed and despondent, feeling that his own accomplishments were forgotten. In 1931, he killed himself via mercury poisoning. Westmore was 52 years old, and buried at Forest Lawn-Glendale. In 2000, the first Georgie awards were held. Named after George Westmore, they were hosted by the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees.