Crist Ballas
Crist Ballas (born August 11, 1965, in Saint Paul, Minnesota) is a make-up artist for film and television. Ballas owns and operates Metamorphosis Make-Up Arts; a make-up and prosthetic laboratory located in Minneapolis 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. After many years of honing his skills, his career began in 1981 and further refined his make-up techniques under the tutelage of the legendary Dick Smith. He 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" and supplied make-up and effects for the 1996 feature film and the spin-off "The Mystery Science Theater Hour". 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"and "The Love Guru". Ballas also taught as an adjunct professor at the University of Minnesota for the BFA program and ran a research laboratory in the medical simulation department.