Fred C. Blau Jr., Emmy®-winning make-up artist considered the expert on blood effects and tattoo artistry by his colleagues and best known for his work on The Illustrated Man, Tattoo, Apocalypse Now, and Planet of the Apes, joins Judy Crown, Emmy-winning hair stylist best known for her work on major TV series including Seinfeld, Geppetto, Murphy Brown, and Moonlighting, as recipients of the esteemed Vanguard Awards at the 10th Annual Make-Up Artists & Hair Stylists Guild Awards (MUAHS, IATSE Local 706). This year’s awards gala and red carpet will be held on Saturday, February 11, 2023, at The Beverly Hilton Hotel.
“We could not be more proud to honor our Vanguard recipients this year: Fred Blau, whose innovations of Reel Creation products are revolutionary to artists in the entertainment industry and are used and appreciated by make-up artists today on sets all over the world; and Judy Crown, for her tireless efforts with union education and helping bring recognition to Hair Stylists. Her efforts helped create the title of department head in our contracts, which helped start the path toward parity, still being fought for today. These two amazing artists will forever be remembered as honorees who truly meet the definition of leading the way,” said Julie A. Socash, president IATSE Local 706.
Some 40 years ago, Blau and his partner invented a new formula for theatrical blood used throughout the industry to this day. They formed the company Reel Creations®, which continued to create innovative tools for the make-up pros. Their silk screen process could do massive full body designs. They invented body art ink that stayed on the body for days. Their products are the main source for cover-up, hair color, and sealer, among many other uses.
Before Blau formed Reel Creations, he was a make-up artist working on numerous notable films, including Apocalypse Now, Cool Hand Luke,The Illustrated Man,Tattoo, The Great Race, Camelot, Planet of the Apes, and the TV series Charlie’s Angels, among many others.
He is a member of both the Motion Picture and Television Academies winning an Emmy® for Spielberg’s Amazing Stories and receiving five other Emmy® nominations. He was nominated for a BAFTA® for his work on Addams Family Values.
For more than 40 years, Crown has forged an outstanding career in the film and television industry as a hair stylist with a passion for elevating the working conditions and wage equity for her sisters and brothers.
A seven-time Primetime Emmy Award nominee, Crown was awarded the Emmy for Outstanding Achievement in Hair Styling for a Series for Designing Women. She also won the Emmy for Outstanding Achievement in Hair Styling for a Mini-Series, Movie, or Special for her work on the movie for television, Houdini. She has also been nominated for her work on The Day After, Moonlighting, Murphy Brown, Bye Bye Birdie and Geppetto. A personal hairstylist to the stars as well, Crown has worked with Lauren Bacall, Candice Bergen, Jason Alexander, and Angela Lansbury.
Crown’s first early television work as a hair stylist was on The Starland Vocal Band Show, starring David Letterman. She started hair styling for the infamous made-for-television movie The Day After, and became the regular hair stylist for The Dukes of Hazzard. She styled hair for several hit shows, including Designing Women, Murphy Brown, and My Sister Sam, and also had a long stint as hair stylist for Seinfeld.
The Vanguard Award is presented to a Local 706 make-up artist and/or hair stylist whose personal achievements or accomplishments have significantly paved the way for their brother and sister artists to reach new heights.
The MUAHS Awards honor outstanding achievements for make-up artists and hair stylists in motion pictures, television, commercials, and live theater.
As previously announced, Steve La Porte, Oscar®- and Emmy®-winning make-up artist best known for his work on Beetlejuice, Star Trek 3: The Search for Spock, and Terminator 2 & 3; and Josée Normand, Emmy-winning hair stylist known for her work on Star Trek: Voyager, Die Hard, and Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, will receive Lifetime Achievement Awards. The Distinguished Artisan awards will be announced at a future date. Producers of this year’s MUAHS Awards are IngleDodd Media and Erick Weiss of Honeysweet Creative.
