Melanie Lenihan


Hair, Makeup & Prosthetic Designer

Melanie started her makeup career in editorial and fashion but, driven by a true passion for prosthetics, naturally moved into the film and television. Her background in film is as impressive as it is diverse. From working special makeup effects on blockbuster studios pictures like Star Wars, Avengers and American Assassin, to designing independent features like William Nicholson’s Hope Gap, Mel is just as good at creating immaculate glamour as she is at building gruesome dead bodies and creatures. In addition to her film work, Mel has established herself in recent years as one of the UK’s top designers for episodic television with credits on hit shows such as The Bastard Son & The Devil Himself (Netflix), The Lazarus Project (Sky) and Bodies (Netflix). She operates a prosthetic studio out of Yorkshire supplying builds for her own shows as well as for makeup designers and productions across the industry. Based in Huddersfield, Mel is available for work worldwide.

* BAFTA Cymru Award winner *

The Bastard Son & The Devil Himself

Hair, Makeup & Prosthetic Designer

BODIES

Hair, Makeup & Prosthetic Designer

Selected credits


date
production
director / production company
as Hair and Makeup Designer
television:
2023
DAY OF THE JACKAL
Brian Kirk / Carnival Films
2023
HULLRAISERS Series 2
Ian Fitzgibbon / Fable Pictures
2022
BODIES
Marco Kreuzpaintner / Moonage Pictures for Netflix
2021
THE BASTARD SON & THE DEVIL HIMSELF
Colm McCarthy / Imaginarium Productions for Netflix
2021
THE LAZARUS PROJECT
Marco Kreuzpaintner / Urban Myth Films
2020
WAR OF THE WORLDS Series 2
Gilles Coulier, Richard Clark / Urban Myth Films
2019
THE ONE
Jeremy Lovering / Urban Myth Films for Netflix
2019
WAR OF THE WORLDS
Gilles Coulier / Urban Myth Films
Winner: BAFTA Cymru Awards - Best Hair & Makeup
2018
BUTTERFLY
Anthony Byrne / Red Production for ITV
2017
MARCELLA Series 2
Charles Martin / Buccaneer Media for ITV
2017
THE VIRTUES
Shane Meadows / Warp Films
2017
OVERSHADOWED
Hildegard Ryan / Rollem Productions, BBC3
2015
BLACK WORK
Michael Samuels / Mammoth Screen
2013
SILENT WITNESS XVII
Various Directors / BBC
2012
WHITECHAPEL III
John Strickland / Carnival Films
2011
THE BAND
Lee Otway / Porcelain Films
feature films:
2024
BANK OF DAVE 'THE SEQUEL'
Chris Foggin / Tempo Productions
2023
BANK OF DAVE
Chris Foggin / Tempo Productions
2018
HOPE GAP
William Nicholson / Origin Pictures
2016
SOLIS
Carl Strathie / GSP Studios
2015
GLOVES OFF
Steven Nesbit / MoliFilms Entertainment
2014
URBAN AND THE SHED CREW
Candida Brady / Blenheim Films
2014
LONG TIME COMING
Steve Nesbitt / North South Films
2014
IDENTICALS
Simon Pummell / Hot Property Films
2012
PETER - A PORTRAIT OF A SERIAL KILLER
Skip Kite / Sanjay Kumar / Praslin Pictures
2012
THE RISE
Rowan Athale / Moli-Mischief Films
as Key Hair & Makeup
feature films:
2017
AMERICAN ASSASSIN
Michael Cuesta / CBS Films
2016
THE BROTHERS GRIMSBY
Louis Leterrier / Big Talk Productions
television:
2015
AMERICAN ODYSSEY
Peter Horton / Fabrik Entertainment for NBC
as Prosthetic Makeup Designer
feature films:
2016
HABIT
Simeon Halligan / Not a Number
2015
IN EXTREMIS
Steve Stone / Green Screen Productions
as Prosthetic Makeup Artist
feature films:
2012
EK THA TIGER
Kabir Khan / Fantastic Films
2012
BEST LAID PLANS
David Blair / Moli Films
2011
HARRY POTTER & THE DEATHLY HALLOWS: I & II
David Yates / Warner Bros.
television:
2013
JONATHAN STRANGE & MR. NORRELL
Toby Haynes / BBC America
2011
ANONYMOUS
Various Directors / RTE
as Makeup Supervisor / Makeup Artist
2018
THE ROMANOFFS
Matthew Weiner / Amazon Studios
2017
AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR (Makeup Artist)
Anthony Russo, Joe Russo / Marvel Studios
2016
PEAKY BLINDERS (crowd supervisor)
Various Directors / Tiger Aspect Productions
2016
JERICHO (crowd supervisor)
Various Directors / ITV Studios
2016
BRIEF ENCOUNTERS (crowd supervisor)
Various Directors / CPL Productions
2013
GAME OF THRONES III (Makeup Artist - Morocco)
Various Directors / HBO
2013
HOLBY CITY (Hair & Makeup Supervisor)
Various Directors / BBC
2012
THE SYNDICATE (Makeup Artist)
Various Directors / Rollem Productions
Commercials include
NIKE ‘EURO 16’, CADBURY’S WORLD, RSC & V FESTIVAL, HEART OF ENGLAND, ADIDAS, TJ HUGHES, SAFESTYLE UK, HOLIDAYS DIRECT, NORWOOD INTERIORS
Talent worked with includes
Sacha Baron Cohen, Anna Friel, Michael Keaton, David Suchet, Ricky Tomlinson, Dylan O’Brien, Catherine Tate, Robbie Williams, Mark Strong, Sienna Miller, Timothy Spall, Isla Fisher, Jonny Vegas, Keith Allen, James Nesbitt, Steven Berkoff, Richard Armitage, Bernard Hill, Rupert Penry-Jones, David Harewood, Sarah Parish, Emilia Fox, Joanna Page, Freema Agyeman, Vanessa Kirby Matthew McNulty, Salman Khan, David Beckham, Mohammed Ali, Maxine Peak and Beverly Knight.