Way Bandy

Way Bandy (August 9, 1941– August 13, 1986) was an American make-up artist. During the 1970s, Bandy became one of the most well known and highest paid make-up artist in the fashion industry. Photographer and frequent collaborator Francesco Scavullo called Bandy "one of the great makeup artists of our time."

Early life

Bandy was born Ronald Duane Wright in Birmingham, Alabama, the second of three sons of a middle-class family. Bandy later admitted that his childhood was difficult as he was not interested in "traditional masculine things—fishing, hunting, baseball" like his brothers. As a child, Bandy preferred to read, sew and take piano lessons. His love of movie magazines and the stars featured in the pages led him to begin portrait paintings. He said, "I would make them up the way I thought they should look. That's how I learned about cosmetics—it's a direct outgrowth of my painting."

After high school, Bandy attended Birmingham–Southern College where he was a member of the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity. After two years, he dropped out to work as a department store model. He later enrolled in Tennessee Technological University where he earned a degree in education. Upon graduation, he got a job teaching elementary and high school English in Tennessee and then in Maryland. During this period, Bandy got married. In the summer of 1965, he and his wife visited New York City. Bandy later said, "The minute we arrived I knew I would never go back to my former life. This was a new beginning." Bandy quit his teaching job and he and his wife separated.