Way Bandy
| Way Bandy | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Ronald Duane Wright August 9, 1941 Birmingham, Alabama, U.S. |
| Died | August 13, 1986 (aged 45) New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Cause of death | AIDS-related pneumocystis carinii pneumonia |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater |
Birmingham–Southern College Tennessee Technological University |
| Occupation | Make-up artist |
| Years active | 1966–1986 |
| Partner(s) | Michael Gardine (1973–1985) |
Way Bandy (August 9, 1941 – August 13, 1986) was an American make-up artist. During the 1970s, Bandy became one of the most well known and highest paid make-up artist in the fashion industry. Photographer and frequent collaborator Francesco Scavullo called Bandy "one of the great makeup artists of our time."
Bandy was born Ronald Duane Wright in Birmingham, Alabama, the second of three sons of a middle-class family. Bandy later admitted that his childhood was difficult as he was not interested in "traditional masculine things—fishing, hunting, baseball" like his brothers. As a child, Bandy preferred to read, sew and take piano lessons. His love of movie magazines and the stars featured in the pages led him to begin portrait paintings. He said, "I would make them up the way I thought they should look. That's how I learned about cosmetics—it's a direct outgrowth of my painting."
After high school, Bandy attended Birmingham–Southern College where he was a member of the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity. After two years, he dropped out to work as a department store model. He later enrolled in Tennessee Technological University where he earned a degree in education. Upon graduation, he got a job teaching elementary and high school English in Tennessee and then in Maryland. During this period, Bandy got married. In the summer of 1965, he and his wife visited New York City. Bandy later said, "The minute we arrived I knew I would never go back to my former life. This was a new beginning." Bandy quit his teaching job and he and his wife separated.
After moving to New York City in 1966, Bandy enrolled at the Christine Valmy Beauty School. It was there that he learned about proper skin cleansing and structure and became interested in makeup application. Bandy then became the school's "dermaspecialist" and was later assigned to teach makeup application techniques to students. The school was one of the first in New York to offer such a course.
Around this time, Bandy set about reinventing himself. He changed his name to "Way Bandy" explaining, "The name just came into my consciousness." Bandy never publicly discussed the details of his life before his reinvention and never revealed his birth name or real age. He then underwent a nose job and face lift and capped his teeth. In 1969, Bandy was hired as the makeup director at Charles of the Ritz where he met photographer Francesco Scavullo. Scavullo was impressed by Bandy's "face designing" techniques and the two became frequent collaborators. In 1971, he left Charles of the Ritz to do makeup for the Broadway show No, No, Nanette. After the show closed, Bandy began working as a freelance makeup artist for print, television and films. Bandy's work was featured in editorials for Vogue, Cosmopolitan, Harper's Bazaar and Rolling Stone. He also worked with several noted photographers including Scavullo, Richard Avedon, Hiro, Horst P. Horst, Helmut Newton, Irving Penn, and Victor Skrebneski.
...
Wikipedia