Hollywood’s Professional Makeup School
FacultyCinema Makeup School is Hollywood’s top professional makeup school. Since the school makes a policy of hiring current working makeup artists who are still in demand with the film industry, specific instructors rotate from section to section. The talented individuals listed below are just a sample of the incredible pool of makeup artists that CMS draws from. Their incredible talents are one of the main reason we are among the top makeup schools in the world. |
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Click an instructor’s name to jump to his/her bio Ve Neill – Director of Education |
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| Gayla Baseheart Sven Granlund Neill Gorton Andrew Velazquez Tom Hester Heather Pepe Steve Costanza Kato DeStefan |
Kevin Haney Cheri Montesanto John Goodwin Joel Harlow Jim Kagel Steve LaPort Kris Kobzina Brad Look Rod Maxwell |
Greg McDougall Ve Neill Howard Berger Nelly Recchia Wendy Ann Rosen Jake Corrick Tim Turner |
Leonard Engelman
Director Emeritus; Honors Instructor
Bio
Leonard Engelman has been a professional makeup artist for over 50 years. He has worked with such luminaries as Alfred Hitchcock, Cher, Sylvester Stallone, Ivan Reitman, and Val Kilmer. Leonard’s tireless work on behalf of craftspeople has earned him considerable respect in the greater film industry and in 2013 he became the first ever makeup artist elected as a Vice President of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
Selected Credits
Topaz, Rambo: First Blood part II, Rocky IV, Ghostbusters, Moonstruck, Sleepless in Seattle, Burlesque
Ve Neill
Instructor / Guest Lecturer
Bio
Ve Neill is among the most acclaimed and well known makeup artists currently working in Hollywood. With three Oscars, two Emmys, one BAFTA, and a client list that has included everyone from Jennifer Lawrence and Andrew Garfield to Johnny Depp and Jack Nicholson, there are few artists who can match Ve’s body of work.
Selected Credits
The Hunger Games series, Pirates of the Caribbean, Ed Wood, Pee Wee’s Playhouse
Lee Joyner
Director of Admissions; Sculpting / Prosthetics / Special Effects Instructor
Bio
Lee Joyner is a master sculptor and creature designer with a background in art and industrial design who has worked extensively in film and television as well as with major musical acts such as Usher and Slipknot.
Selected Credits
Godzilla (2000), Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang, Stargate SG-1, Mimic, Usher, Slipknot
Michael Spatola
Chief Academic Officer; Character / Prosthetics Instructor
Bio
Michael is a two-time Emmy® nominee and a veteran of several Hollywood special effects shops, where he contributed makeup work to a number of blockbuster films and television shows.
Selected Credits
Iron Man 3, Terminator 2: Judgment Day, Edward Scissorhands, The Return of the Living Dead, Tales from the Crypt, Tremors
Joel Harlow
Special Effects / Character Instructor; Special Guest Lecturer
Bio
Joel is an Oscar®- and Emmy®-winning makeup artist whose collaborations with actor Johnny Depp have given life to multiple iconic characters. In addition to makeup, Joel also paints, sculpts and designs jewelry.
Selected Credits
Transcendence, The Lone Ranger, Alice In Wonderland, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest, Star Trek
Howard Berger
Workshop Instructor / Guest Lecturer
Bio
As one of the founders of award-winning SFX shop KNB Efx Group, Howard Berger has made a name for himself taking on daring projects for film and television and crafting memorable effects both on set and in the lab. He has an Oscar win and multiple nominations.
Selected Credits
Hitchcock, The Chronicles of Narnia,Inglorious Basterds ,Dances With Wolves
Nelly Recchia
Airbrush / Beauty Instructor
Bio
Nelly is a world famous airbrush and bodypaint artist whose work has graced everything from magazine spreads to feature films. Her trademark dark, fantasy-inspired style is as instantly recognizable as it is inimitable.
Selected Credits
Films: Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang; Brands: BMW, Budweiser, Paul Mitchell; Musical Acts/Celebrities: Katy Perry, Lady Gaga, Selena Gomez, Gwen Stefani, Jason Derulo, Usher, Beck
Cheri Montesanto
Workshop Instructor
Bio
Cheri is a first call makeup department head for challenging television projects from The X-Files to Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.. She has won three primetime Emmy awards and her work continues to dazzle audiences on screens of all sizes.
Selected Credits
Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., The X-Files, CSI: Miami>
Neill Gorton
Workshop Instructor / Guest Lecturer
Bio
BAFTA-winning British FX maestro Neill Gorton has created the looks behind some of the most beloved BBC sci-fi series and films of all time. He is the owner of Millennium FX and Gorton Studios, a full-service effects studio in the UK.
Selected Credits
Doctor Who, Being Human,Children of Men ,Saving Private Ryan
Sven Granlund
Lab Instructor
Bio
Sven Granlund is a talented makeup and special effects artist for both film and television. He has been a prosthetics makeup technician on countless films throughout his career, and has been a significant asset to major blockbusters.
Selected Credits
Deadpool, Deadpool 2, Black Lightning, The Cloverfield Paradox, Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle
Tom Hester
Sculpting Instructor
Bio
Tom Hester has designed and sculpted for Hollywood for over 25 years. In addition to his work as a top character designer, Tom also creates fine art sculpture and digital work.
Selected Credits
Shrek, Gorillas In the Mist, Harry and the Hendersons, An American Werewolf In London
Kato DeStefan
Character / Prosthetics / Special Effects Instructor
Bio
Kato is a makeup and special effects artist for film and television. He is a veteran of XFX and currently works regularly on set with a number of television productions.
Selected Credits
Sons of Anarchy, Teen Wolf, Star Trek, Watchmen, Zoolander
Brad Look
Character / Prosthetics Instructor
Bio
Brad Look is an Emmy® winner and multiple nominee who works regularly on the sets of hit television shows and blockbuster films.
Selected Credits
Captain America: The Winter Soldier, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, The Hunger Games, Thor, Up in the Air, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End
Gayla Basehart
Beauty Instructor
Bio
Gayla is an in-demand beauty makeup artist working for major networks and celebrity clients that range from A-list actors and musicians to famous athletes and TV presenters.
Selected Credits
HBO, SyFy, E!, Comedy Central, ESPN, Steve Buscemi, Martin Sheen, Magic Johnson, Ray Liotta, John Cusack, Betty White
Kris Kobzina
Prosthetics / Special Effects Instructor
Bio
Kris Kobzina is a talented effects artist who is well known to television and film audiences working on blockbuster films. Kris is also an Emmy award winner for his prosthetics featured in Six Feet Under.
Selected Credits
Satanic Panic, Spider Man, Daredevil, Men in Black 2, Dragged Across Concrete, Anchorman: Legend of Ron Burgundy
Greg McDougall
Prosthetics / Special Effects Instructor
Bio
Greg is an experienced makeup artist and special effects technician who splits time between working on blockbusters with outside FX labs and doing acclaimed work on genre films with his own company, CosMc FX, which he co-founded with fellow CMS instructor Steve Costanza.
Selected Credits
The Purge, Smiley, War of the Worlds, Doom
Steve Costanza
Prosthetics / Special Effects Instructor
Bio
Steve is a pro special effects and makeup artist whose work spans a number of genres. He works both in the lab and on set and is co-founder (along with Greg McDougall) of CosMc FX.
Selected Credits
The Purge, Quarantine, Smiley, Napoleon Dynamite
Heather Pepe
Prosthetics / Special Effects Instructor
Bio
Heather’s work has graced the pages of numerous fashion magazines and various TV shows and commercials including W Magazine and DEXTER. She also is an Educator and Senior Artist with Youngblood Cosmetics and an Artist with the Charlotte Tilbury Makeup Team..
Selected Credits
Jay Leno, President of USA Barack Obama, Chelsea Handler, Burberry, Wendy Wilson, CNBC, LA & NY Fashion Week
Jake Corrick
Sculpting Instructor
Bio
Jake is a master sculptor and creature designer. His designs have been integral to major blockbusters and cult classics.
Selected Credits
Nazi Overlord, Descendants 2, The Grand Slams, Jim Henson’s Creature Shop
Wendy Ann Rosen
Beauty Instructor
Bio
Wendy Ann Rosen is an experienced beauty and high fashion artist who has worked with major celebrities and brands. Her work has graced the pages of some of the world’s foremost fashion magazines.
Selected Credits
Jennifer Aniston, Angelina Jolie, Leonardo DiCaprio, Johnny Depp, Tobey Maguire, Iggy Pop
Rod Maxwell
Digital / Character Instructor
Bio
Rod Maxwell is a prosthetic and digital artist and entrepreneur. He is well-known to television audiences as a fan favorite from season three of SyFy’s Face Off.
Selected Credits
Godzilla, Face Off, “The Wishing Well”
Steve La Porte
Character
Bio
Over 2 decades of feature films led to his position as Makeup Designer & Dept. Head for ABC’s “Lost”. After completing 6 Seasons & 118 shows, Steve moved back to feature films & then on to other series such as Netflix’s “Longmire” & Amazon’s, “Bosch”. Steve can often be seen giving lectures & demonstrations at the International Makeup Trade Show & Monsterpalooza in Pasadena & Burbank, CA.
Selected Credits
Spare Room, Incarnate, Oz the Great and Powerful, X-Men: First Class,
Tim Turner
Digital Instructor
Bio
Tim is a digital artist who got his start doing practical special effects. Tim currently produces and sells horror-themed artwork through his company, The Ghoulish Gallery.
Selected Credits
Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, Aliens, Cocoon, Harry and the Hendersons, Evil Dead II, CSI
John Goodwin
Character Instructor
Bio
John is an Emmy®-winning makeup artist whose work has been a major part of classic TV shows and movies. He is also very active in the Makeup Artists Local 706 and is a knowledgeable resource for students looking to work toward union membership.
Selected Credits
CSI: NY, CSI, Men In Black, Legend, The Thing
Jim Kagel
Sculpting Instructor
Bio
Jim is a master creature sculptor and many of his designs are true classics.
Selected Credits
Snakes on a Plane, Spider-man, Bicentennial Man, Jumanji, Stargate, The Abyss, Big Trouble in Little China
Andrew Velazquez
Beauty Instructor
Bio
After receiving his degree in fashion merchandising and license in cosmetology, Velázquez worked for Aveda Spa, Anastasia Beverly Hills and MAC Cosmetics. Today, he has a roster of celebrity clientele, from Demi Lovato to Kieth Urban and Florence and the Machine.
Selected Credits
AOK, Brett Young: Like I love You, American Beauty Star, Glamcore
NOTE: Due to the school’s policy of hiring working professional makeup artists, CMS cannot guarantee the availability of any specific instructor for any specific section. Instructors are subject to change without notice.
