Nicholas Marcellino; WWII Hero

Nicholas Marcellino, a former Hollywood makeup artist who was awarded two Purple Hearts during World War II, has died. He was 79.

Marcellino was born in Naples, Italy, and worked as an art teacher in Philadelphia and as a painter and muralist before enlisting with the Marine Corps in 1940.

As a member of the 1st Marine Division, Company D, he participated in the initial ground offensive against the Japanese in Guadalcanal in 1942, said Bob Aquilina, a researcher with the Marine Corps Historical Center in Washington, D.C.

The Marines suffered many casualties during the offensive, Aquilina said, including about 1,000 dead, nearly 3,000 wounded and 9,000 cases of malaria.

Marcellino was wounded in the ankle Oct. 6, 1942, when a mortar shell blew up. He was wounded again 11 days later while traveling on an oil tanker that came under attack, said his widow, Geraldine Marcellino, 74. The explosion killed all the Marines near him.

“He was blown into the water and rescued and put aboard a hospital ship,” Geraldine said.

Her husband suffered a concussion and shrapnel wounds and permanently lost hearing in one ear, she said.

He was awarded the Purple Hearts for the injuries he received in action. Because of those injuries, he was discharged from the Marine Corps in 1943, and he moved to Los Angeles.

He and Geraldine married in 1944 and moved to West Hollywood. Marcellino quickly found a job in the entertainment industry.

“When he came to Hollywood, he was one of the first war heroes back,” Geraldine said. “He was wined and dined. He was very handsome.”

Marcellino was offered acting contracts and other jobs, but he chose makeup because he was artistic, his widow said.

He was hired by Warner Bros. and worked with stars such as Humphrey Bogart, Rock Hudson and Bette Davis, she said. He headed the makeup department at Universal Studios before retiring in 1982.

Marcellino died June 18. In addition to his wife, he is survived by daughters Candy Artmont, 47, of Northridge, and Nancy Sharp, 53, of Toluca Lake, and three grandchildren.