Mike Elizalde is an American special make-up effects artist.
Background
His parents, Miguel Angel Elizalde and Paula Torres Elizalde, raised him together until his second birthday when his father passed due to illness. Elizalde and his mother immigrated to the United States in 1964, after Paula remarried to Ignacio Castaño. A second son, Edward Vincent Castaño was born.
Education
Elizalde attended Francis Willard elementary school in Compton, California, and graduated from Alhambra High School, in Alhambra, California in 1979.
Career
He was nominated at the 81st Academy Awards in the category of Best Makeup for his work on the film Hellboy II: The Golden Army. Born Winston Miguel Elizalde in Mazatlán, Sinaloa. Elizalde was fascinated by movie monsters as a child and felt particularly moved by the monster in the 1931 Universal Studios film, Frankenstein, directed by James Whale.
The indelible image of the monster, played by Boris Karloff was instrumental in inspiring him to become a Hollywood makeup artist.
Elizalde was also fascinated by magic and became a performing magician by the age of 14. While attending high school, Elizalde spent countless hours at Owen Magic Supreme, an illusion factory in Alhambra, California.
Elizalde taught himself to sculpt and create prosthetic makeup effects by following the work of his mentors Dick Smith, Stan Winston, and Rick Baker. After serving for eight years in the United States Navy, during which time he became a naturalized United States. citizen, Elizalde returned to Hollywood, California to make his dreams come true.
He continued to develop his skills by working in several Hollywood special effects studios, including Rick Baker"s Cinovation Studios and Stan Winston Studio.
He became an animatronics designer, puppeteer, and prosthetic makeup artist with the knowledge he acquired. Elizalde has worked on over 100 films in his career, including Men in Black, Nutty Professor II: The Klumps, Hellboy and Birdman.