Dave Elsey


Prosthetic & Make Up Effects Designer

From creating fantastical creatures in the TV series Farscape, thru plant-wrangling skills in The Little Shop of Horrors to the Broadway stage, Designer Dave Elsey has demonstrated an extraordinary ability to create memorable characters using make up and animatronics. His work on Star Wars: Episode III: Revenge of the Sith garnered an Oscar nomination. Collaborating with Rick Baker for The Wolfman, Elsey won the coveted Academy Award (and a Saturn Award). From conceptual designing characters and make up effects through the manufacture and operation of effects and animatronics characters, Dave is able to take the director’s vision successfully to the screen.

* Won 1 Oscar Award. Another 9 wins & 6 nominations *

Click here for full list of awards

THE BEEKEEPER

SFX Makeup Designer

True Detective: Night Country

SFX Makeup Designer

Selected credits


production
director / production company
feature films:
COLD STORAGE
(special make up effects designer)
Jonny Campbell / Paramount Pictures
THE BEEKEEPER
(sfx makeup designer)
David Ayer / Cedar Park Studios
AQUAMAN AND THE LOST KINGDOM
(prosthetics supervisor)
James Wan / Warner Bros.
JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 4
(special makeup effects supervisor – Scott Adkins)
Chad Stahelski / Lionsgate
BEAUTY AND THE BEAST
(special make up effects designer)
Bill Condon / Walt Disney Pictures
MR. HOLMES
(Sir Ian McKellen) (make up designer)
Bill Condon / See-Saw Films
WOLVES
(creature effects creator/supervisor)
David Hayter / Copperheart Ent.
X-MEN FIRST CLASS
Matthew Vaughan / Universal Pictures
THE WOLFMAN
(creature effects supervisor)
Joe Johnston / Universal Pictures
Academy Award (shared) for Achievement in Make up
WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE
(creature effects supervisor)
Spike Jonze / Warner Brothers
MEN IN BLACK 3
(creature conceptual artist)
Barry Sonnenfeld / Columbia Pictures
BLACK SHEEP
(creature effects supervisor)
Jonathan King / NZFC - IFC Films
GHOST RIDER
Mark Johnson / Columbia Pictures
STAR WARS III: REVENGE OF THE SITH
George Lucas / Lucas Film
Academy Award nomination (shared) for Achievement in Make up
MISSION IMPOSSIBLE 2
John Woo / Paramount Pictures
FIRST KNIGHT
Jerry Zucker / Columbia Pictures
MUTANT CHRONICLES
(creature effects supervisor)
Simon Hunter / Edward R. Pressman
television:
CHRISTMAS GHOST STORY: LOT NO. 249
(sfx makeup designer)
Mark Gatiss / Adorable Media - BBC
TRUE DETECTIVE Season 4
(sfx makeup designer)
Issa López / Anonymous Content - HBO
DRACULA
(special make up effects designer)
various / Hartswood Films - BBC - Netflix
IN A MAN'S WORLD
(special make up effects designer)
various / Lucky 8 TV - Bravo Channel
THE WIZ, LIVE!
(special make up effects designer)
Kenny Leon / NBC Universal - NBC TV
FARSCAPE: THE PEACEKEEPER WARS
(creature effects supervisor)
Brian Henson / Jim Henson Company
FARSCAPE
(88 episodes, creature effects supervisor)
various / Jim Henson Company
SILENT WITNESS
(8 episodes)
various / BBC Ð A&E Networks
commercials & music videos:
YELLOW PAGES 'clown'
McDONALDS 'cavemen'
USPS 'monster'
NIKE 'Good vs Evil'
(demon creature effects supervisor)
PIRELLI TIRES 'goddess'
(creature effects supervisor)
MASSIVE ATTACK 'teardrop'
(creature effects supervisor)
APHEX TWIN 'come to daddy'
(make up effects supervisor)
theatre:
SIDE SHOW
(make up effects designer)
Bill Condon / JFK Center, La Jolla Playhouse / St. James Theatre, NYC