- Van Smith
Infobox Person
name = Van Smith
caption = Van Smith fromSteve Yeager 's 1998 documentaryDivine Trash
birth_date =August 17 ,1945
birth_place =Marianna, Florida
death_date =December 5 ,2006
death_place =Marianna, Florida
other_names = Walter Avant Smith, Jr
known_for =Dreamlanders
occupation =Costume designer Makeup artist
nationality = AmericanVan Smith (born Walter Avant Smith Jr.,
August 17 ,1945 inMarianna, Florida -December 5 ,2006 Marianna, Florida ) was an Americancostume design er andmake-up artist . He worked primarily in the films of John Waters, designing the costumes and make-up for every John Waters film from 1972 to 2004.cite web|url=http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0810249/|title=Van Smith on IMDb|publisher=IMDb|accessdate=2008-06-15] Because of his work with Waters, he is considered one of theDreamlanders , Waters' ensemble of regular cast and crew members.The first John Waters film Smith worked on was "
Pink Flamingos " (1972), for which he designed the costumes and make-up for the film's star, female-impersonating actor Divine, as well as the rest of the cast. In this film Smith, along with Waters, created the famous look for Divine which included a white clown face base and a shaved-back hairline with the eyebrows drawn on the upper forehead. Waters said he wanted Divine's make-up to look like a cross betweenJayne Mansfield andClarabell the Clown .cite web|url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/07/AR2006120701848.html|title=Waters Ally Van Smith; Films' Doyen of Dirt|last=Bernstein|first= Adam|date=December 8, 2006|work=The Washington Post |publisher=The Washington Post Company |pages=B07|language=English|accessdate=2008-06-15]This was followed by Smith's work on "
Female Trouble " (1974), which featured a cast of flamboyant criminals and hairdressers whose costumes are overtly tacky and whose make-up is extreme. For Divine's wedding scene in the film, Smith designed a see-through wedding dress for the 300 lb. bride.Smith went on to create the look for the grotesque citizens of Mortville in "
Desperate Living " (1977). In Waters' next seven films, Smith demonstrated the ability to create interesting looks for characters with big personalities but more conventional appearances as Waters' movies became more mainstream.Smith died of a heart attack in
Marianna, Florida onDecember 5 ,2006 . [cite web |url=http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0810249/ |title=Van Smith |publisher=Internet Movie Database | accessdate=2008-03-07]Filmography
Make-up and costume design
*"
Pink Flamingos " (1972)
*"Female Trouble " (1974)
*"Desperate Living " (1977)
*"Polyester" (1981)
*"Hairspray" (1988)
*"Cry-Baby " (1990)
*"Serial Mom " (1994)
*"Pecker" (1998)
*"Cecil B. Demented " (2000)
*"A Dirty Shame " (2004)As himself
*"
Divine Trash " (1998)
*"It Came from Baltimore" (2005) (Video)
*"All the Dirt on" A Dirty Shame (2005) (Video)Other
*"
Pink Flamingos " (1972) Birthday party guest in drag
*"" (2 episodes, 1993)References
External links
*imdb name|0810249|Van Smith
* [http://www.dreamlandnews.com/news/DLNews11.shtml Van Smith tribute on Dreamland news]
* [http://www.dreamlandnews.com/print/articles/mvp_paper.shtml "The Cinematic Unabomber"] byMary Vivian Pearce Persondata
NAME=Smith, Van
ALTERNATIVE NAMES= Walter Avant Smith Jr.
SHORT DESCRIPTION= American costume designer for film
DATE OF BIRTH=August 17 ,1945
PLACE OF BIRTH=Marianna, Florida
DATE OF DEATH=December 5 ,2006
PLACE OF DEATH=Marianna, Florida
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
