Tom Savini, a multifaceted artist, was born in Pittsburgh and developed a fascination with film and illusion at a young age, inspired by the 1957 film Man of a Thousand Faces. He spent most of his youth creating characters by practicing makeup in his room, a passion that would eventually lead him to become a renowned special effects expert.
Savini's career in special effects began in the 1970s, providing makeup and effects for low-budget horror films such as Deranged and Martin. However, it was his work on George A. Romero's Dawn of the Dead in 1978 that caught the attention of horror fans and established him as a master of gruesome effects.
In the early 1980s, Savini's work on films like Friday the 13th, Maniac, The Burning, and Creepshow cemented his reputation as a leading special effects artist in the horror genre. He won a Saturn Award for his work on Day of the Dead in 1985 and continued to work on films like Night of the Living Dead in 1990, which marked his directorial debut.
Savini's talents extend beyond special effects, as he has also demonstrated his acting skills in numerous films. He has appeared in roles such as Morgan, the Black Knight in Knightriders, Blades in Dawn of the Dead, and Sex Machine in From Dusk Till Dawn.