Hollywood or bust: How a Wyoming kid became a respected special effects artist

 

Andy Schoneberg worked on the award winning film, "Inglourious Basterds," here with Jake Garber, just after filming his scalping.  The film is set in Nazi-occupied France during WWII, when a group of Jewish-American soldiers, "The Basterds" spread fear in the Third Reich by brutally scalping Nazis. 

From left, artists Andy Schoneberg and Nicole Michaud,with

Schoneberg's creation of famed actor Humphrey Bogart,

  Christene Meyers and Bruce Keller joined the party.

DRIVEN BY A DREAM:  MAKING MAGIC WITH SPECIAL EFFECTS IS WHAT HE LOVES BEST

STORY By CHRISTENE MEYERS

PHOTOS By BRUCE KELLER

and courtesy Andy Schoneberg

Andy Schoneberg applies makeup to Diane Lane

for "The Oldest Living Confederate Widow..."

Editor's Note: The writer and today's featured artist met many years ago during their years at The Billings Gazette. They collaborated on theatrical productions and Schoneberg created a bronze of the writer's late husband for a garden in his memory on the campus where he taught for 25 years.

WHEN ANDY Schoneberg arrived in Los Angeles 40 years ago, he had $500 and dreams of making it big in Hollywood. Since then, he's crafted a successful career in special effects and makeup and has seen the city through highs and lows: Oscar ceremonies, star studded receptions, riots, drought, COVID and the recent horrific fires. Through it all, he's kept his equilibrium, continuing to create. Monsters, movie stars, rock icons, famous paintings by masters all fascinate this master craftsman.

Schoneberg's fascination with the Beatles resulted in creation

of four life size faces of "the Fab Four." Here is a silicone 

 mannequin of John next to a final sculpture of Paul. Below

 those are sculptures of George and an unfinished Ringo.

Schoneberg's credits are well known to movie buffs. His wizardry includes crafting the hands of "Edward Scissorhands" for Johnny Depp, transforming Diane Lane into the "Oldest Living Confederate Widow" and working on dozens of other films from horror movies to documentaries -- "Jurassic Park," "Terminator 2," and more. Ghosts and dinosaurs, heroes and villains are all part of his vast and talented repertoire.  Schoneberg even realized a bucket list dream when he met and worked with famed makeup artist Dick Smith, who transformed Dustin Hoffman into ancient narrator Jack Crabb in "Little Big Man." 

GROWING UP in Casper, Wyo., he was constantly drawing. Now at 69, he credits his parents with planting those long ago seeds that led to a life in the arts.  "Both were arts-oriented people. Mom sang  in Casper's community theater. My dad also loved singing and was a fan of big-band music."

 Make-up master Dick Smith, left, with

Andy Schoneberg. Smith was known as

"the godfather of make-up" for his award

winning work on "Little Big Man" and

many other famed Hollywood films.

His parents encouraged him to find his own style, to experiment and study the masters. "I idolized Leonardo da Vinci and copied a few of his paintings," he remembers. "That set up my love of replicating things."

WHEN HE SAW Planet of the Apes in 1968, he wanted to learn how the makeup was done. Driven by his penchant for mimicking, he found materials at a theatrical supply in New York. "I began a series of experiments," he said. "Many of them failed, but I took my tiny successes as encouragement to keep trying."  THE ARTIST'S attraction to Hollywood escalated

The writer with Schoneberg's

creation of Marilyn Monroe.

 from an ambitious dream to a firm goal when he visited Los Angeles with friend Marc Vertin in 1978.

"I fell in love with the city immediately," he says. "I knew L.A. was for me."

While working on dozens of notable projects, Schoneberg met his partner Nicole Michaud, also a gifted special effects and makeup artist. A native New Englander and painter, she and Schoneberg also teach. "My joke is I help young people grow into artists who make dead people, old people, olden times people," she says. 

 Quasimodo, with David Woodruff

a re-creation by Schoneberg,

 for the 90th anniversary of "The

Hunchback of Notre Dame"

which featured Lon Chaney

ACTORS MARILYN Monroe and Humphrey Bogart are also favorites of Schoneberg.  Bogart is the subject of a decades old fascination. As an accomplished actor, Schoneberg has played the famous actor twice in "Play It Again Sam." When he was 23, he was cast as Bogie in that Woody Allen work. In 1980s, working as a newspaper illustrator in Montana, Schoneberg reprised the role. That led to crafting a life size mannequin of Bogey in Los Angeles. "So Bogey and I are star-crossed!"  Schoneberg laughs. "Nicki accuses me of having a Barbie doll because my Bogey has several outfits."

Schoneberg and his partner, Nicole "Nicki"

Michaud with Schoneberg's "Mona Lisa."

He has long admired Leonardo Da Vinci and 

his dad said "Wouldn't it be fun to have a Mona

Lisa in your living room?" So the Schoneberg

replica is also an homage to his father.

.

AMONG FAVORITE

productions is "Edward Scissorhands."  "It was  so gratifying," he says of the Tim Burton movie.  "Tim was fantastic. Johnny Depp was warm and funny, Winona Ryder was friendly, and the whole cast was great."   Schoneberg is delighted the gothic romantic fantasy is still going strong. His work is listed in the credits for building the intricate hands Johnny wears throughout the film.  

The writer, Christene "Cookie" Meyers at the

dedication of the Bruce Meyers Poets Garden

which features Schoneberg's bronze of the

late actor, poet and MSU-Billings professor. 

Michaud, Schoneberg and his ex-wife Becky have an amicable relationship, sharing pride in Andy and Becky's two kids, both creative people.  "They realize they don't have to work so hard and make the sacrifices I did," he says, "but they love that I did the things I've done."

He says of the kids, "Dorian loves to write, and Emily is a fine makeup artist. That makes me happy." 

Schoneberg's  plaster cast

from the head of Bruce

Meyers who played Daddy

Warbucks in "Annie"

was the basis for a bronze

sculpture the artist

created for Poet's Garden.

 AS FOR his fascination with the Beatles, he says, "John started as a study in facial muscles and during the addition of muscles to the skull I sculpted, I thought, 'I really should make it look like John." 

As he was finishing the famous Beatle, he thought "Wouldn't it be outrageous to do all four of them? And once that seed was planted...BAM!"

You can find more about Schoneberg's career, including how he got the "Edward Scissorhands" gig on Instagram:

@theschoneberg

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