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Old Man Costume Characters

vikksimmons by vikksimmons

Old Man Costume Ideas - Grumpy to Happy

Halloween old man costumes offer a wide range of characters. For starters, think about the grumpy old man, the crazy old inventor, the bald old man, and the dirty old man. All are iconic old man costume characters that appear every Halloween and do their fair share of trick or treating. The beauty of the old man costume is that it can be as inexpensive as an old shirt and pants coupled with a bit of white powdered hair to a carefully crafted portrait of a realistic elderly man, complete with costume.

Old men come in all shapes and sizes. The face of an old man speaks of life. Artists are drawn to the challenge of capturing that life played out on the face and in the body. Actors relish the freedom and the challenge of sinking into a character with a history and physical attributes that are so unlike their own. Why not look at a Halloween costume in the same way?

The annual Halloween costume challenge
Don't be content to slap on a wig, slip on some old, baggy clothes and suspenders, and assume your work is done. Why not turn that basic store bought Halloween costume or the homemade costume into something extra-special? Halloween brings out the inner actor in all who put on Halloween costumes and enter into the world of pretend. What kind of old man will you be?

Read on for more tips, suggestions and ideas to help you create your Halloween old man costume.

Happy old man

Not every old man is a grumpy old man 

Homemade costumes or store bought?

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I love to make my own Halloween costumes.

TheLittleCardShop says:

I like designing my own Halloween Costumes but I buy some products as an a addition to them

Give me a store-bought Halloween costume any day of the week.

 

How to act the part of an old man

Roberts Blossom as the old man in Christine

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Roberts Blossom's many old man faces

Photo source: <a href="http://deadcelebrities.com/roberts-blossom/">Dead Celebrities.com</a>
Photo source: <a href="http://twitchfilm.com/news/2011/07/character-actor-roberts-blossom-passes-away.php">twitchfilm.com</a>
Photo source: <a href="http://www.filmweb.pl/person/Roberts+Blossom-8468">FilmWeb.com</a>
Photo source: <a href="http://www.aveleyman.com/ActorCredit.aspx?ActorID=1687">Aveleyman.com.com</a>
Photo source: <a href="http://www.aveleyman.co/ActorCredit.aspx?ActorID=1687">Aveleyman.com.com</a>

5 Tips on how to act like an old man

Create an old man personality

  • 1Sound like an old man. What does an old man sound like? Does your character have a particular phrase or favorite words he likes to say? Is his voice strong or does it quiver?
  • 2Move like an old man. Does your old man character use a prop like a cane, a walker, or a wheelchair? What else might he use?
  • 3Fix hair like an old man. Does he have hair or is he a bald old man? If he has hair, is long or short? Does it stick out like a wild man or does he comb his hair over a bald spot?
  • 4Act like an old man. What about his physical characteristics? Does your old man stoop when he walks or does he stand erect? Does he limp? Think about how an aging person might feel, the pains, the injuries and how they change the way that person walks and talks.
  • 5Think like an old man. What do you know about this old man? What's his story? How can you use that when you pretend you are him?

Faces of Old Men

Learn how to look like a very old man

Study the faces of old men

Ceramic sculptor Philippe Faraut’s sculpts an old man's eyesIf you plan to turn yourself into an old man for Halloween, then there are a few things to study in order to do it justice. Young people have smooth faces, the lines of time haven't been written yet. Being an old man for Halloween probably means you will wear stage makeup. Where will you apply frown lines? What about wrinkles? Are there other scars or marks? It's helpful to study the faces old men. In the following photographs, you will see they are not all the same.
Buster Keaton Twilight Zone 1961

 

Old bearded man from Tajikistan

 

BabaSteve - Varansi

 

Old man - Polish

 

Old man in Harar

 

Ed Sullivan as clown 1972

 

Creating a Character

Theatrical Makeup : How to do old man makeup

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Theatrical Makeup : How to make hair look gray for a costume

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Costumes and Accessories

Uncle Bert - old man costume for Halloween

Use these costume accessories to build an old man character

Funny Uncle Bert old man costume Here's everything you need for a basic old man costume. Use as is or take these elements as the basic framework to build your own character of an old man.

  1. Old man's wig

  2. Suspenders and stuffed pants

  3. Attached shirt and belt
The rest is up to you.

Who's your old man?

Old man masks, old man wigs, old man kits, old man hair

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Old Age Makeup Test

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Stage makeup tips and costume makeup accessories

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5 movies to watch about old men

Halloween role playing

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Tell me about your Halloween costume ideas

Halloween costume shops, Halloween party stores

Masquerade red jester wearable mask for men

Masquerade Red Jester Wearable Mask for Men
The allure of hiding behind a mask is at the center of our fascination with Halloween costumes.

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  • vallain Nov 4, 2011 @ 3:23 pm | delete
    I enjoyed reading in your blog how you came to make this web page about old man costumes. Guess I'd probably choose the old lady one.
  • TheLittleCardShop Nov 1, 2011 @ 9:16 am | delete
    Very creative old man costumes. They look so fun!
  • Waxing-Lyrical Oct 26, 2011 @ 10:18 pm | delete
    Some of us don't need much make-up to look like this LOL! ;)
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This Halloween Magazine page written by

vikksimmons

I blog, write books and articles and am online at Down the Writer's Path, Writers Quote Daily, Houston Angle and Vikk Simmons On Squidoo and Online All... more »

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