Bernadine Anderson
| Bernadine Anderson | |
|---|---|
| Born | Bernadine M. Anderson December 1, 1942 New York, NY, US |
| 💼 Occupation | |
| 📆 Years active | 1967–1994 |
Bernadine M. Anderson (born 1942) was the first black woman to work as a makeup artist in the Hollywood film industry. In 1967, she fought against employment discrimination and was accepted into a 3-year apprenticeship at Warner Bros. Studio. In 1970, she was accepted into the local union, IATSE 706, making her the first black female member of the makeup department.[1][2][3]
Early life
Anderson was born in 1942 in New York.[4] Before becoming a makeup artist, Bernadine was a model and, when she was 21 years old, she was one of the featured models in Clairol's first advertisements for color for Black hair.
Makeup artistry
In New York, Anderson put herself through college by working for an undertaker doing makeup on corpses.[5]
In the 1960s, after four years of trying to get into the industry, Anderson filed a class action lawsuit against the film studios for discrimination. The lawsuit was dropped because she was offered a 3-year apprenticeship with Warner Bros. Studio beginning in 1967.[1][6] During the apprenticeship, Anderson worked on Planet of the Apes.[5]
In 1973, Anderson was the only woman and the only black person working as a makeup artist in the Hollywood film industry.[7]
Anderson became Jane Fonda's personal makeup artist in 1975. Fonda called the union and requested a female makeup artist, and Anderson was the only one.[8] Anderson worked with Fonda on films such as Fun with Dick and Jane, 9 to 5, and Julia.[9] Anderson would go on to become Eddie Murphy's personal makeup artist through the 1980s and 1990s and worked on films like Harlem Nights, Boomerang, and Coming to America, where she was the makeup designer and head of department.[10] Throughout her career, she worked with the likes of Cicely Tyson, Stevie Wonder, Lionel Ritchie, Laurence Fishburne, and Angela Bassett.[4]
Anderson retired from the film industry in 1994. Her makeup kit is now on display at the Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington D.C.[11][12]
In 2015, The Hollywood Beauty Awards honoured her with a special award for her contribution to the film industry which was presented to her by Jane Fonda.[13] In 2020, the Makeup Artists and Hair Stylist Guild honoured her with their Vanguard Award.[14] In 2025, Dread Central listed Anderson as one of "The 7 Most Influential Black Women in Special Effects Makeup History" for her work on Wes Craven's 1995 film Vampire in Brooklyn.[15]
See also
- Dorothy Ponedel, the first female makeup artist in the Hollywood film industry
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Bauer, Laura L. S. (2018-12-07). Hollywood Heroines: The Most Influential Women in Film History. Bloomsbury Publishing USA. ISBN 979-8-216-09852-2. Search this book on
- ↑ Richardson, Randi (2021-04-16), "Black makeup artists and hairstylists want more access, representation in Hollywood", NBC News, archived from the original on 2025-07-02, retrieved 2025-07-31
- ↑ "Our Top 8 Black Celebrity Makeup Artists", BlackNews.com, 2019-01-18, retrieved 2025-08-01
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Who's who Among African Americans (21st ed.). Gale Research. 2008. p. 28. ISBN 978-1-4144-3400-1. Search this book on
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Hilton, Emily (2021-04-01), "Hair and Makeup Vets to Bask in Their Moment in the Sun", The Hollywood Reporter, archived from the original on 2025-07-23, retrieved 2025-07-31
- ↑ Turner, Tasha (2023-02-21), "Hollywoods First Black Makeup Artist Bernadine Anderson - World Bride Magazine Hollywoods First Black Makeup Artist Bernadine Anderson", World Bride Magazine, archived from the original on 2025-07-02, retrieved 2025-07-31
- ↑ "Film Due Release in Spring". Galveston Daily News. Galveston, Texas. 1973-10-30. Retrieved 2025-07-31 – via newspaperarchive.com.
Ms. Anderson is the only woman make-up artist in the movie business, and the only black, according to Rosen.
- ↑ "American Film Institute Bernadine Anderson".
- ↑ "Smithsonian".
- ↑ Hapa, Hekima; Ware, Lesley (2022-06-07). Black Girls Sew: Projects and Patterns to Stitch and Make Your Own. Abrams. ISBN 979-8-216-09852-2. Search this book on
- ↑ "Smithsonian". nmaahc.si.edu.
- ↑ "Smithsonian". www.si.edu. Smithsonian Museum.
- ↑ Bauer, Laura L. S. (2018-12-07). Hollywood Heroines: The Most Influential Women in Film History. Bloomsbury Publishing USA. ISBN 979-8-216-09852-2. Search this book on
- ↑ "Hair and Makeup Vets to Bask in Their Moment in the Sun". Hollywood Reporter. April 2021.
- ↑ Uzoma-Nwosu, Precious (2025-02-25), "7 Influential Black Women in Special Effects Makeup History", Dread Central, retrieved 2025-07-31
External links
- Bernadine M. Anderson on IMDb
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