Bloomberg: Shu Uemura, Japanese Makeup Artist, Dies of Pneumonia at 79
Shu Uemura, the Japanese makeup artist who parlayed a Hollywood reputation into a global chain of cosmetics stores, died of pneumonia on Dec. 29. He was 79. The death of the cosmetics pioneer was announced today in a statement by the company that bears his name. Uemura began his career in Hollywood in 1955, and his first break came during the filming of "My Geisha" starring Shirley MacLaine. MacLaine's makeup artist fell ill and Uemura was called to substitute. "Upon completion of Ms. MacLaine's intricate and laborious geisha makeup, Mr. Uemura had transformed the actress's Caucasian face into a Japanese geisha with Asian features," his biography says on the Shu Uemura Cosmetics Inc. Web site. He was the preferred artist for actors Frank Sinatra and Edward G. Robinson, according to the site. Uemura was the founder and the honorary chairman of Tokyo- based Shu Uemura Cosmetics, which became a subsidiary of Paris- based L'Oreal SA in 2004. The company has stores in Tokyo, Paris, New York and other major cities, according to the statement.
