Biografia
Apone’s passion for film started at age nine when his family relocated to Culver City, turning the MGM and Desilu backlots into his playgrounds. During high school, he pursued film development, creating amateur movies with friends. Shortly after graduating, he worked as a production assistant on his first film. He then gained experience on independent projects before becoming a field producer for Bill Burrud Productions, which produced travel logs for American Express. Later, he transitioned to a purchasing agent role in the hobby craft industry at Western Trimming before entering the special effects and makeup field.
A multi-award nominated makeup artist, Apone also possesses strong financial and organizational skills. Between 1994 and 1997, he co-produced three projects with actor Tom Berenger’s production company, 1st Corps Endeavors. These projects included the award-winning mini-series Rough Riders, the TNT telefilm Avenging Angel, and the feature film An Occasional Hell.
Apone is president and CEO of Makeup & Effects Laboratories (MEL), a special effects makeup studio he founded in 1979 after apprenticing at Burman Studios and receiving mentorship from Academy Award-winning special effects artist Stan Winston. MEL has expanded from 500 to over 20,000 square feet and has contributed special effects to more than 145 films and 25 television shows. Recent projects include Westworld, Divergent, Django Unchained, The Last Thing He Wanted, Den of Thieves, Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Killing Reagan, 22 Jump Street, and Suicide Squad. In 2012, he launched Mel Products, a specialty makeup line widely used by film and television productions as well as makeup effects artists and Halloween enthusiasts worldwide.
Throughout his career, Apone has worked as a makeup artist on over 170 films and 150 television episodes. He has been the personal makeup artist for notable actors such as Samuel L. Jackson, Dustin Hoffman, Chris Evans, Gerard Butler, Tom Berenger, and Sir Ben Kingsley. A member of Makeup and Hairstylist Local 706 for more than 20 years, he received Emmy nominations for makeup in 1993, 1994, 1997, and 2018 for Westworld. He was also nominated by the Hollywood Makeup Artists Guild for his work on Three Kings and Captain America: The Winter Soldier.
Apone belongs to both the Television Academy and the Motion Picture Academy. He lives in Newhall, California, and has two children.
