Tom Savini began his adventure into the movie business with the philosophy that "The more you do the more you GET to do." He was able to parlay his hobby of make up, and his army training as a combat photographer (Vietnam 1969-70), into a job as a special make up artist and still photographer on Bob Clarke’s movie Deathdream, and then graduated to head special make up effects artist on Clarke’s next film Deranged. For the next six years he worked as a freelance photographer "From Cheeseburgers to Politicians," by day and an actor/make up artist at night, doing repertory regional theater in North Carolina.

It was during these years that Tom honed his make up skills by designing production make-ups for three area theatres. A typical evening meant that Tom would play a lead character, apply his own make up, and before curtain time apply beards, scars, aging, and whatever, to nearly everyone in the cast.

That did it. His real movie career took off. He was besieged by producers who let him create innovative and shocking effects, and sometimes perform stunts, play roles, and stage fights in such movies as Friday the 13th parts 1 and 4, Creepshow 1 and 2, Dawn of the Dead, Day of the Dead, Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2, Invasion USA, Monkey Shines, Knightriders, Maniac, Maria's Lovers, Red Scorpion, Heartstoppers, Bloodsucking Pharoahs in Pittsburgh, Two Evil Eyes, Trauma, Killing Zoe, Necronomicon, Back Street Justice, Mr. Stitch, and Ghostwriter. He also directed three episodes of Tales from the Darkside, and the 1990 remake of Night of the Living Dead. He still operates his own special make up effects company, Tom Savini, LTD., does seminars, performs in and directs plays, and looks for good movie scripts to direct or consider for acting roles. Who better to direct than someone who has been an actor, a stuntman, a choreographer, a fight director, a photographer, and a special make up effects designer?

Tom is also an author, having published Grande Illusions and Grande Illusions Book Two, describing the art and technique of special make up effects. His Special Make Up Effects School, part of the Douglas Education Center, is a raging success since it opened with steadily coming in from all over the country.

Where versatility is frowned upon in the arts, Tom has proven with his acting assignments, the roles of "Sex Machine" in the Quentin Tarantino/Robert Rodriquez film From Dusk Til Dawn, "Hughes" in Children of the Dead, the interrogating detective in Ted Bundy, the serial killer in Dead4Told, his cameo in the remake of Dawn of the Dead, the various special make up effects jobs that he passes on to the brightest of his students, and the success of the haunted attraction at his school called Terrormania, that "The more you do ........the more you GET to do.