John Chambers John Chambers was an American make - up effects artist of Irish descent who created the pointed Vulcan ears worn by Leonard Nimoy on . He is perhaps best known for designing the make - up used in the classic 1968 science fiction film " Planet of the Apes " and its sequels . For his work on the first " Planet of the Apes " , he received an Honorary Academy Award , as there was no category for " Best Make - up " at that time . He was only the second person to receive this honor , after . Early life and career . Chambers was born in Chicago , Illinois . He served as a dental technician in the US Army during World War II . After the war , he worked at Hines Veterans Hospital in Illinois , he acquired knowledge of facial prosthetics while designing artificial body parts for amputees and veterans requiring reconstructive surgery . In 1953 , he joined the make - up department at NBC in Hollywood , California , where he created and applied make - up for actors on live television programs . Also during this time , he worked on his first film , the 1956 classic " Around the World in Eighty Days " . He then did two 1958 westerns for Regal Films , " Ambush at Cimarron Pass " and " Showdown at Boot Hill " . The 1960s and 1970s . After working at NBC for six years , Chambers moved on to Universal Studios , where he worked in the make - up lab under department head Bud Westmore , the half - brother of hair stylist Pat Westmore and uncle of veteran " Star Trek " make - up artists Monty and Michael Westmore ( also the great uncle of McKenzie Westmore and Michael Westmore , Jr . and uncle - in - law of June Westmore ) . One of his projects at Universal was to create a series of prosthetic makeups for the 1963 film " The List of Adrian Messenger " . He also helped create the make - up for some of the characters on the 1960s television series , " The Munsters " . Chambers left Universal in the mid - 1960s and , with his partner Tom Burman , opened his own studio , which he ran from his own garage in Burbank , California . It was here that Chambers created the ears for " Star Trek " s Mr . Spock . He also worked on such television series as " I Spy " , " The Outer Limits " , " Lost in Space " , " Night Gallery " , and " Mission : Impossible " , the latter of which , like " Star Trek " , was produced by Desilu . In addition , Chamber created the artificial nose worn by actor for his Academy Award - winning performance in the 1965 film " Cat Ballou " . He also created prosthetic body parts for such films as " The Boston Strangler " and " Red Tomahawk " . While working on " I Spy " , Chambers was asked to design the ape make - up for " Planet of the Apes " . He designed and created the ape prosthetics for more than 200 actors ( including James Daly , Paul Lambert , and Felix Silla ) , a task he had to accomplish in only three months and with less that a budget of less than million dollars . Following the success of " Planet of the Apes " , Chambers was brought back to create the prosthetics for the four sequels that followed : 1970 ' s " Beneath the Planet of the Apes " ( which featured Jeff Corey , James Gregory , and Gregory Sierra ) , 1971 ' s " Escape from the Planet of the Apes " ( featuring Ricardo Montalban , Jason Evers , and William Windom ) , 1972 ' s " Conquest of the Planet of the Apes " ( also featuring Ricardo Montalban ) , and 1973 ' s " Battle for the Planet of the Apes " ( featuring France Nuyen and Paul Williams ) . In addition , Chambers provided a false chest for actor to use in the 1970 film " A Man Called Horse " and developed life masks for use in the 1971 film " The Mephisto Waltz " , which featured Lilyan Chauvin and the aforementioned William Windom . He was also a special make - up artist on such films as " Slaughterhouse - Five " ( starring Eugene Roche and featuring Kevin Conway ) and " Superbeast " ( starring Antoinette Bower ) . He then designed the make - up for Brian De Palma ' s " Phantom of the Paradise " ( starring Gerrit Graham and Paul Williams ) and the 1977 version of " The Island of Dr . Moreau " . Throughout the 1970s , Chambers received three Emmy Award nominations . His first came for the 1971 " Night Gallery " episode " Pickman ' s Model " , which starred Louise Sorel . He was then nominated for the 1975 TV movie " Twigs " and again for the Hallmark Hall of Fame ' s 1976 production of " Beauty and the Beast " . Later life . Chambers received his fourth Emmy nomination for his work on the short - lived science fiction series " Beyond Westworld " . Later in the early 1980s , Chambers worked as a makeup technician on the slasher film " Halloween II " and provided prosthetic make - up for the acclaimed , seminal science fiction film " Blade Runner " , which featured Joanna Cassidy . After supervising the prosthetics for the 1982 comedy " Class Reunion " , Chambers retired from the film make - up industry . In 1991 , at the age of 68 , Chambers suffered a stroke which left him partially paralyzed . He then moved into the Motion Picture and Television Country House and Hospital in Woodland Hills , California . He died there ten years later from complications of diabetes . He was 77 years old . Legacy . Throughout his career , Chambers created new techniques and introduced new materials into the make - up industry which have since become the standard in Hollywood . He created a new technique for making " bald caps , " which give actors the appearance of being completely bald . Instead of using rubber , Chambers used liquid plastic , which he sprayed onto a metal form of an actor ' s head , giving it a more realistic appearance . In addition , Chambers developed a new technique for making veneer theatrical false teeth . He also created a new plastic - based material for making scars and wounds . For " Planet of the Apes " , he used his own foam rubber compound ( rather than the typical plastic ) to create an innovative facial prosthetic which allowed heat and sweat to pass through the material ' s pores , making them more comfortable to wear and prohibiting the adhesive used to apply it from peeling off . Chambers was a mentor for many aspiring make - up artists . Among those he apprenticed was veteran " Star Trek " make - up designer Michael Westmore . Chambers ' work was not limited to Hollywood ; throughout his career he frequently assisted the CIA by using his talents to help create disguises for agents , and for which he was eventually awarded the Intelligence Medal of Merit , the agency ' s highest honor bestowed on civilians . In the Oscar - winning 2012 film " Argo " , which features Bob Gunton , Victor Garber and Keith Szarabajka , Chambers , played by , is one of the main characters , highlighting his role in the CIA ' s of six American Embassy staffers from Tehran in the wake of the 1979 revolution .