Michèle Burke dead: Oscar winner who worked with Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt dead at 75

Michèle Burke has died at the age of 75 in Los Angeles, according to Deadline. The Oscar-winning make-up artist garnered more than 50 feature film and TV credits throughout her successful career. Notably, she was the first woman to win a Best Makeup Oscar alongside Sarah Monzani in 1983. Burke then shared a second Oscar with Greg Cannom and Matthew W Mungle in 1993 in Bram Stoker's Dracula. Born in Dublin, she emigrated to Canada in the 1970s and pursued a career in film and TV after gaining work experience with makeup artist Mickey Hamilton in Montreal.

She was also nominated for films such as The Clan of the Cave Bear (1987), Cyrano de Bergerac (1991), and The Cell (2001). Burke won a British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) Award for the film Quest for Fire and another for Cyrano de Bergerac.

Notably, she rubbed shoulders with famous Hollywood stars such as Tom Cruise on several projects. They had a longstanding working relationship on films such as Jerry Maguire, Vanilla Sky, Minority Report, Mission: Impossible III, Knight and Day, Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol, Rock of Ages, and Oblivion.

Burke also worked with Sharon Stone (Gloria), Penélope Cruz (Vanilla Sky), and Brad Pitt (Interview with the Vampire).

BAFTA paid tribute to Burke in a statement, commenting: "We're saddened to hear that makeup artist Michèle Burke has died, aged 75. An expert in her craft, Burke won a BAFTA in 1992 for her work on Cyrano De Bergerac and was nominated for a further two awards in 1994 and 1995 for Bram Stoker's Dracula and Interview With The Vampire."

One devastated fan posted on X: " Such a loss. Her work on Interview With The Vampire was incredible. It actually reminds me of a great thread by @MartinezX631 breaking down the makeup in that film."

Another also chimed in: "Very sorry to hear of the passing of Michèle Burke, a trailblazing Irish woman in cinema and two-time Oscar winner."

A third also said: "Michele Burke brought unforgettable life to film, and her work with Tom Cruise is a lasting legacy. Her extraordinary work will be remembered forever. Rest in peace."