A truly gifted make up and prosthetic artist
Achievements

A truly gifted make up and prosthetic artist

Crist Ballas is make up artist working for the movies and the television, and is in fact, awarded with an Emmy award for his exceptional work.  Ballas owns and operates Metamorphosis Make-Up Artistry; a full service make-up and prosthetic laboratory located in Minnesota.

He was born on the 6th of August 1965 in St. Paul Minnesota. A childhood passion for the classic Universal monsters, coupled with a love of the fine arts led Ballas toward the rather unconventional study of makeup.

I work as a make up artist for the past 35 years. At first, I didn’t know you could be a make up artist, so I researched, and found out it had a lot to do with acting. That actually helped me out a great deal becaues I then could really relate to actors, realize what they are going through, how long they have to sit in the chair, make up and prepare for things. I was in High School when I started going out doing commercials. That’s when I started meating make up artists, and I was like “what else do you have to do?”, and they answered “nothing else, that’s it”, and I was like “this your job?”, and I was so excited. I did not go to college, because there was no college focused in make up at that time. What I did, I studied the first make up artist that I met on the job, my mentor, Gary Boham (my local mentor), and then Dick Smith (my New York mentor). They gave me profound knowledge because until then for me it was trian and error, so through that I became a better professional”, says Crist at a past interview.

His career began in 1981, as we already mentioned, from the guidance of Gary Boham and further refined his make-up techniques under the tutelage of the legendary Dick Smith. He continues to be an innovator in his field, and is known for his work in natural, beauty and ultra-realistic prosthetic makeups.

Ballas spent seven years as a make-up artist on the television series “Mystery Science Theater 3000”. He also worked on five films for Arnold Schwarzenegger: Jingle All the Way, Batman & Robin, End of Days, The 6th Day, and Collateral Damage.

In 2009 Ballas was part of the Academy Award winning makeup team for J. J. Abrams’ Star Trek. His television and movie credits include: The Straight Story, A Simple Plan, Sweet Land, Double Jeopardy, Reindeer Games, Drop Dead Gorgeous, Mallrats, The Love Guru, The 13th Warrior, The Forbidden Kingdom, Stuck Between Stations, Changhen ge, The Warlords, Beauty and the Geek, Let’s Bowl and the BBC’s Planet Earth Live.

In 2011, he received his first Emmy in recognition of his work for a MN Twins campaign. Apart from that he has worked as a producer and taught as an adjunct professor at the University of Minnesota.

He is a truly sensitive person and for the last years he makes prosthetics for the medical industry to help those in need.

 

COMMENTS

  Comments: 2

  1. topouzoglou prodromos

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  2. Corinne Lettau

    HI! Miss you so much


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