Michael R. Thomas, a native of Rahway, New Jersey, spent his formative years in the Bronx and later in Hazlet, New Jersey, where he developed a passion for applying makeup for school plays, teaching himself the art at a young age. As he approached his 18th birthday, Thomas began working as a go-fer at New York film studios and as a makeup apprentice for the Metropolitan Opera.
Thomas made his on-camera debut on the popular 1960s dance show "Disc-O-Teen," where he became a regular fixture, often dressing up as Frankenstein's monster. In the 1970s, he landed a makeup job on the iconic television program Saturday Night Live, where he spent 20 seasons working on countless projects, including collaborating on the creation of the Coneheads' look.
Thomas' film credits include serving as makeup department head on the Ghostbusters movies and applying Michael Jackson's scarecrow makeup for the 1978 film The Wiz. His personal life was marked by a romance with makeup artist Christine Domaniecki, whom he met on the set of "Disc-O-Teen" and reconnected with 23 years later.
Thomas' love of Universal horror movies from the 1930s and 1940s inspired him to create his own makeup looks, emulating the styles of Bela Lugosi's Dracula and Ygor. He would often attend horror movie-themed fan conventions across the country, donning his own renditions of these iconic characters.
