Connie Grayson Criswell

Connie was born & raised in San Diego, CA. She was first trained as a Make-up Artist in 1985, doing make-up for college productions. Her first paying job was for the Starlight Civic Light Opera as a Makeup Artist, Wig Assistant & Dresser. She continued to work in musical theater and with local prominent theaters - The La Jolla Playhouse and the San Diego Repertory Theater. In 1987, she was trained as a Wig Maker at the Old Globe Theatre. She advanced her wig making skills at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival in Ontario, Canada where she worked & resided for four years. She received a Sir Tyrone Guthrie Award in 1990 from the Stratford Festival to travel to England & France to study period hairdressing & hairstyles. She moved to Los Angeles in 1994 to pursue a career in Special Make-up Effects, specializing as a Wig Maker/Hair Technician. In 2002, she was trained as an on set Contact Lens Technician for Professional Vision Care Associates as an additional career choice. She also received her Cosmetology License in 2002. Connie has worked as part of the make-up effects crew for 3 Oscar winning films: 'Men In Black', 'How the Grinch Stole Christmas', & 'The Chronicles of Narnia'. She continues to work as a Hair Specialist & Contact Lens Technician in Special Effects Make-Up for Film & Television.