Michael Ornelaz
Michael Ornelaz
Emmy-winning special makeup artist & master FX hair designer,
You will be hard pressed to find an artist who is more dedicated to his craft... His passion, talent, commitment, and attention to detail is unparalleled.
J. Alan Scott
Co-Owner, Co-Founder, Legacy Effects
About Michael
Mike began his professional career in 1988, working numerous seasons as a makeup artist with the Central City Opera, San Francisco Opera, and San Francisco Ballet.
In 1992, he and his wife Roxanne moved to Bakersfield, CA, to be closer to Los Angeles and the epicenter of film and television production. While testing the waters in LA, Ornelaz landed work with the Mark Taper Forum.
In 1995, Mike started working at Stan Winston Studio, where his diverse skills and consummate artistry were in high demand for 13 years. During his time at SWS, Mike contributed his talents to countless film projects, including The Sixth Sense, Galaxy Quest, Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, A.I. Artificial Intelligence, Terminator Salvation, and Avatar, just to name a few. Upon Stan’s passing in 2008, Ornelaz joined a group of SWS veterans in transitioning to leading FX studio Legacy Effects, where, for the last 14 years, he has had the opportunity to contribute to many Film and TV projects, including Life of Pi, The Bourne Legacy, Terminator: Dark Fate, The Suicide Squad, and The Mandalorian.
In addition to his work at SWS and Legacy Effects, Mike has enjoyed sharing his artistic talents as a makeup artist with some of the leading prosthetic makeup designers and makeup department heads in the industry, including Kazu Hiro for 2022’s Gaslit and James MacKinnon for Star Trek: Picard, for which Mike was honored to share an Emmy Award for Outstanding Prosthetic Makeup.