Gary Christensen is a professional makeup artist and makeup designer based in Southern California. He specializes in theater makeup, special effects, and prosthetics. With a career spanning nearly five decades, Gary brings expertise to every production he works on.
Award-Winning Special Effects Makeup
Gary is an award-winning special effects makeup artist. He won the Los Angeles Drama-Logue Award for his prosthetics makeup design on Comedy of Errors at the Grove Shakespeare Festival. He also designed silicone makeup effects for the 2016 production of Time Stands Still.
His work has also been showcased internationally. He has served as a demonstrator for Mouldlife and Neill’s Materials at two leading industry events in London: the International Makeup Artists Trade Show (IMATS 2014–15) and the United Makeup Artists Expo (UMA Expo 2013–14).
Theater Makeup Designer With 50+ Productions
Gary has designed makeup for more than 50 professional and numerous academic productions. He has worked with top Orange County companies including the Grove Shakespeare Festival, Gem Theater Company, Laguna Playhouse, Alternative Repertory Theater, and Shakespeare Orange County.
His favorite designs include iconic Shakespeare productions: Julius Caesar, Macbeth, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Tempest, and Henry IV, Part I.
Theater Makeup Instructor at Universities
Gary is an experienced theater makeup instructor. He has taught at colleges and universities across Southern California, including:
- California State University Fullerton
- Riverside City College
- Mesa College (San Diego)
- California Institute of the Arts
- California State University Los Angeles
- El Camino College
- Long Beach City College
- Santa Ana College
- Irvine Valley College
He teaches both Beginning Theater Makeup and Advanced Makeup (including prosthetics). His designs appear in the 11th edition of Richard Corson’s long-running textbook, Stage Makeup.
Published Columnist for Makeup Artist Magazine
Gary wrote the “Backstage” column for Makeup Artist Magazine for two years. His column ran from Issue #11 (February/March 1998) through Issue #23 (February/March 2000) – covering 13 issues dedicated to theater makeup.
His relationship with the magazine began in 1997, when editor Michael Key visited the Knott’s Berry Farm prosthetics warehouse during the annual Halloween Haunt event.
Co-Author of Leading Ladies of Makeup Effects
Gary co-authored Leading Ladies of Makeup Effects. This book is the first to feature portrait biographies of 26 leading women working in makeup effects for film and television.
A Career Built on the Haunted Side of Hollywood
Gary started his makeup career in 1977. He worked for five years as makeup supervisor for the face-painting unit at Knott’s Berry Farm’s annual Halloween Haunt. He supervised nine artists, completing roughly 150 makeups in three hours each night.
He then spent seven years as assistant prosthetics makeup supervisor under Abel Zeballos, applying prosthetic makeups on street monsters for the same event.
Education
Gary holds a Master of Fine Arts in Theater from California State University Fullerton. He continued his makeup studies at UC Irvine with William Tuttle (film and TV) and at UCLA with Victoria Jackson (fashion and print).
Bio from Blogspot:
Gary began his makeup career in 1977 when he worked for five years as the makeup supervisor for the “face-painting” unit at Knott’s Berry Farm’s annual “Halloween Haunt.” For the “Haunt” he supervised nine other artists painting skulls, monsters, and stylized makeups on 150 Knott’s employees in a 3 hours period (approximately one makeup per artist every 12 minutes). Then, for seven years, he was the assistant prosthetics makeup supervisor for Abel Zeballos applying prosthetic makeup on “Street-ers,” the street monsters for “Haunt.”
During that time, he also began designing Makeup for several professional theater companies in Orange County including: Grove Shakespeare Festival, Gem Theater Company, Laguna Playhouse, Alternative Repertory Theater, and Shakespeare Orange County. He has designed over 50 professional productions. Some of his favorite design include: Julius Ceasar, Macbeth, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Tempest, Henry IV, part I, and Seascape. In 1984, he won an L.A. Drama-logue award for his makeup design of “Comedy of Errors” at the Grove Shakespeare festival.
In 1985, he began teaching theater makeup at Fullerton College. He has taught both Beginning Theater Makeup and Advanced Makeup (prosthetics. etc.) In the past 25 years he has taught at: California Institute of the Arts, California State University Los Angeles, Professional Actors Conservatory, Santa Ana College, Irvine Valley College, El Camino College ,and Long Beach City College. He currently teaches at California State University Fullerton, Riverside City College, and Mesa College in San Diego. At these colleges, he has also designed makeup for over 75 productions.
In 1997 at Knott’s, a magazine editor visited the prosthetics makeup warehouse to cover the “Haunt” for his new “Makeup Artists Magazine,” his name of course, is Michael Key. In the December issue Key put feelers out for a columnist to write about theater makeup.” Christensen immediately shot of a letter to Key with samples of his writings. Christensen’s first column was published in the “Titanic” issue (#11-Feb/Mar 1998). He continued as the “BackStage” columnist 13 issues over the next two years (#23-Feb/Mar 2000).
His theatrical makeup designs are featured in the newly revised, 11th edition of Richard Corson’s textbbook, “Stage Makeup.”
Christensen has an Master of Fine Arts in Theater from Cal State Fullerton. He continued his makeup studies at University of California with William Tuttle (Film and TV), and at University of California Los Angeles with Victoria Jackson (Fashion & Print).