Roger Ebert’s New Chin [Prosthetics]

A battle with cancer left film megacritic Roger Ebert without much of the lower half of his face . But he’s going to appear on his new TV show looking quite like his old self. How? A meticulously sculpted prosthetic chin.

In a post on his blog , Ebert outlines the two year process that gave him his new face, which he sported last night on the first episode of his new television program ” Ebert Presents at the films.”

His first thought? A false beard. That didn’t get very far. But using 3D photos of Ebert’s post-cancer face, and taking an old bust a pal had sculpted as reference, a team of doctors began the tireless task of crafting the best chin:

It was an issue finding the ideal material. Two original models were too stiff, so that my head held upright reminded me of Erich von Stroheim in ” Grand Illusion.” I couldn’t look down easily, which was a difficulty for walking and typing. Two weeks ago, David was back with a softer silicone that was far more wearable. Since I’d last met him he’d been in Haiti and Guatemala fitting false limbs for kids who had lost arms or legs in natural calamities. My problems are small potatoes. David snapped the photo [above] after the best, and before the general coloring have been completed. I’d say he and Julie did a gorgeous wonderful damn job. I adore my new prothesis and know from observation their work was painstaking and done with love and care.

Ebert has remained indefatigable inside the wake of his illness, blogging about as hard as the complete Gizmodo staff combined on his page at the Chicago Sun-Times website. His prosthetic chin, he explains, isn’t to hide his face-his recent Esquire, accompanied by a close-up of his face, stirred an avalanche of attention-but merely to keep his appearance from going in the style of folk listening to his criticism. But it surely’s also a testament to how Ebert hasn’t let cancer sidetrack his career even a little. ” Symbolically,” he says of the prosthesis, ” it’s as if my illness never happened.” [ Roger Ebert's Journal ]

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This post is tagged: chicago sun times, erich von stroheim, grand illusion, natural calamities, small potatoes, television program