Steve Wang () is a Chinese-American

make-up artist A make-up artist, also called a makeup artist, and often shortened to MUA, is an artist whose medium is the human body, applying makeup and Prosthetic makeup, prosthetics on others for theatre, television, film, fashion, magazines and other simil ...

and filmmaker.

Biography

Born in

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...

, he and his parents moved to the

America The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

when he was nine. His greatest inspirations were the

tokusatsu is a Japanese term for live-action films or television programs that make heavy use of practical special effects. Credited to special effects director Eiji Tsuburaya, ''tokusatsu'' mainly refers to science fiction film, science fiction, War fi ...

superhero A superhero or superheroine is a fictional character who typically possesses ''superpowers'' or abilities beyond those of ordinary people, is frequently costumed concealing their identity, and fits the role of the hero, typically using their ...

TV shows ''

Ultraman The , also known as ''Ultraman'', is a Japanese science fiction media franchise owned and produced by Tsuburaya Productions, which began with the television series '' Ultra Q'' in 1966. The franchise has expanded into many television shows, fi ...

'' and ''

Kamen Rider The , also known as ''Masked Rider Series'' (until ''Kamen Rider Decade, Decade'' and except Thailand), is a Japanese superhero fiction, superhero media franchise consisting of tokusatsu television programs, films, manga, and anime, created by ...

'', as well as Hong Kong kung fu films including ''

Master of the Flying Guillotine ''Master of the Flying Guillotine'' is a 1976 Hong Kong ''wuxia'' film directed, written by and starring Jimmy Wang Yu. It is a sequel to Wang's 1972 film '' One-Armed Boxer'', and is also known as ''One-Armed Boxer 2'' and ''The One-Armed Box ...

''. As a veteran makeup artist and creature designer, Steve has worked with fellow veterans before him including

Stan Winston Stanley Winston (April 7, 1946 – June 15, 2008) was an American television and film special make-up effects artist, best known for his work in the ''Terminator'' series, the first three '' Jurassic Park'' films, '' Aliens'', '' The Thing'', ...

Rick Baker Richard Alan "Rick" Baker (born December 8, 1950) is a retired American special make-up effects creator and actor. He is mostly known for his creature designs and effects. Baker has won the Academy Award for Best Makeup a record seven times f ...

and Dick Smith. Another project which drew attention to him was the direct to video movie, ''

Drive Drive or The Drive may refer to: Motoring * Driving, the act of controlling a vehicle * Road trip, a journey on roads Roadways Roadways called "drives" may include: * Driveway, a private road for local access to structures, abbreviated "drive" * ...

'', which starred

Mark Dacascos Mark Alan Dacascos (born February 26, 1964) is an American actor, martial artist and television personality. A 4th-degree black belt in Kajukenbo#Wun Hop Kuen Do, Wun Hop Kuen Do, he is known for his roles in Action film, action films, including ...

and

Kadeem Hardison Kadeem Hardison (born July 24, 1965) is an American actor. The son of fashion model Bethann Hardison, he rose to prominence after landing the role of Dwayne Wayne on the television series ''A Different World'', a spin-off of the NBC sitcom ''T ...

. He also made independent films such as '' Kung Fu Rascals'', based on a series of 8 mm short films he did years before. He and his brother Michael Wang, an award-winning commercials director, were hired in 2008 to work on '' Kamen Rider: Dragon Knight'' (an adaptation of ''

Kamen Rider Ryuki is a Japanese ''tokusatsu'' television series. The twelfth installment in the Kamen Rider, Kamen Rider Series, it was a joint collaboration between Ishimori Productions and Toei Company, Toei, and it was shown on TV Asahi from February 3, 2002 to ...

''), a second attempt at reviving the

Kamen Rider Series The , also known as ''Masked Rider Series'' (until '' Decade'' and except Thailand), is a Japanese superhero media franchise consisting of tokusatsu television programs, films, manga, and anime, created by manga artist Shotaro Ishinomori. ''Ka ...

in the United States, after '' Saban's Masked Rider'' of 1995. They write, produce, and direct as "The Wang Brothers". In 1999, he designed the visual effects for an aborted

Film Roman Film Roman, LLC, is an American animation studio currently based in Woodland Hills, California and formerly in Burbank. It was previously owned by Starz Inc., which is now a division of Lionsgate, and currently by Waterman Entertainment, the p ...

creation ''Skins for the Deep'', for the proposed Max Degree TV block, but it was cancelled due to lack of international backers. Steve Wang designed a sculpture depicting

Sarah Kerrigan Sarah Louise Kerrigan, the self-styled Queen of Blades, is a character in Blizzard Entertainment's ''StarCraft'' franchise. She was created by Chris Metzen and James Phinney, and her original appearance was designed by Metzen. Sarah Kerrigan is ...

(The Queen of Blades), a character from the ''Starcraft'' Universe in 2012. The sculpture was placed at the Blizzard Entertainment Office in

Versailles The Palace of Versailles ( ; ) is a former royal residence commissioned by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, Yvelines, Versailles, about west of Paris, in the Yvelines, Yvelines Department of Île-de-France, Île-de-France region in Franc ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

the same year. He has also made statues of Tryndamere and Ryze, two champions from ''

League of Legends ''League of Legends'' (''LoL'', commonly referred to as ''League'', is a multiplayer online battle arena video game developed and published by Riot Games. Inspired by ''Defense of the Ancients'', a Mod (video games), custom map for ''Warcraf ...

'', for

Riot Games Riot Games, Inc. is an American video game developer, publisher, and esports tournament organizer based in Los Angeles. It was founded in September 2006 by Brandon Beck and Marc Merrill to develop ''League of Legends'' and went on to develop ...

that same year. During the promotion for the beta release of ''

Firefall Firefall is an American soft rock band that formed in Boulder, Colorado, in 1974. It was founded by Rick Roberts (musician), Rick Roberts, former member of the Flying Burrito Brothers, and Jock Bartley, who had been Tommy Bolin's replacement ...

'', Wang was commissioned to create sculptures of game characters to be displayed at conventions.

Filmography

Director

*'' Rollerblade II: Taken By Force'' (1989) - 2nd unit director *'' Kung Fu Rascals'' (1992) *'' Guyver'' (1991) - co-director *'' Guyver: Dark Hero'' (1994) *''

'' (1997) *'' Sirens of The Deep'' (1999 - TV show/pilot) *''

Power Rangers Lost Galaxy ''Power Rangers Lost Galaxy'' is a tokusatsu television series and the seventh season of the ''Power Rangers'' franchise, based on the 22nd Super Sentai series ''Seijuu Sentai Gingaman''. The series was the first to follow the Sentai tradition o ...

'' (1999) *''

Kung Pow! Enter the Fist ''Kung Pow! Enter the Fist'' is a 2002 American martial arts comedy film that parodies Hong Kong action cinema. Written, directed by and starring Steve Oedekerk, it uses footage from the 1976 Hong Kong martial arts film '' Tiger & Crane Fists' ...

'' (2002) - 2nd unit director *'' Wolvy: Twisted at Birth'' (2003) - short film *'' Kamen Rider: Dragon Knight'' (2009)

Producer

*''Guyver: Dark Hero'' *''Kung Fu Rascals'' *'' Kamen Rider: Dragon Knight'' *'' Beast Wishes''

References

External links

*
Steve Wang
on

MySpace Myspace (formerly stylized as MySpace, currently myspace; and sometimes my␣, with an elongated Whitespace character#Substitute images, open box symbol) is a social networking service based in the United States. Launched on August 1, 2003, it w ...

Director's Reel
on

YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...

SciFi Japan - Kamen Rider Dragon KnightLatex Mask Central - FX WorkNERDSociety - Interview with Steve Wang
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wang, Steve American film directors of Taiwanese descent American people of Chinese descent American make-up artists Living people American special effects people Taiwanese emigrants to the United States Year of birth missing (living people)