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EXECUTIVE BIOGRAPHY 2007
Howard Berger was born and raised in Los Angeles and was enamored with the film industry at a very early age. With his father, a post production sound editor, encouraging his artistic talents and leading a path towards the film industry, and his mother, a teacher, who read WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE every night to him, it is no wonder Howard became a makeup and creature creator for the movies. With these heartfelt influences, Howard began honing his skills as a sculptor, painter and over all artist, knowing this facets of the industry required him to be as well rounded as possible.
At age 13 he met one of his idols Stan Winston, who took him under his wing and encouraged Howard as an up and coming artisan. Always stressing the importance of education, Stan promised to hire Howard after he completed high school with the understanding he had to maintain high grades, prove his attention to detail and devotion to his responsibilities to his schools work. Stan lived up to his promise and hired Howard after he graduated to work on PREDATOR AND ALIENS, the first of many dreams to come true.
Howard was beginning to make a name for himself, and went on to work with another idol, Rick Baker, on HARRY AND THE HENDERSON, in which Rick won the Oscar for Best Makeup.
Through the years Howard worked at numerous studios moving up the ranks rapidly. In 1988 he and Gregory Nicotero decided to take the huge risk and form their own studio, K.N.B. EFX GROUP, INC.
In the past 20 years Howard and his company have worked with almost every director in Hollywood and on some of the most distinguished films made ranging from Oscar winner DANCES WITH WOLVES, CASINO with Martin Scorsese, Quentin Tarantino’s KILL BILL films, Sam Raimi’s ARMY OF DARKNESS, Robert Rodriguez’s SIN CITY and most recently finished filming the latest NARNIA installment, PRINCE CASPIAN, due out in theaters May 16, 2008. KNB is currently gearing up for the 3rd film, VOYAGE OF THE DAWN TREADER to be filmed the summer of 2008.
Howard’s greatest challenge came in the adaptation of CS Lewis’s classic novel, THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA, THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE. Howard lead his team of over 120 artists at KNB in LA and 42 artists on location in New Zealand in creating all the inhabitants of Narnia for director Andrew Adamson. An adventure that would take a year of all their lives to breath life into.
For the excellence and highest caliber of work, Howard and co-founder, Gregory Nicotero, won the British Academy Award, a BAFTA, for Best Makeup and his first Academy Award for the film, making this the greatest of dreams to come true.
Howard Lives in Sherman Oaks, CA with his 3 children, Kelsey, Travis and Jacob.
Above - Howard Berger and Gregory Nicotero
