Gregory Nicotero

Lore & Background

Nicotero's influence extends across decades of genre filmmaking. KNB EFX Group won an Emmy Award in 2001 for their work on the 2000 Sci Fi Channel miniseries Frank Herbert's Dune and an Academy Award in 2006 for achievement in makeup for The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. He served as a senior producer/executive producer, special make-up effects supervisor, and primary director on the AMC TV series The Walking Dead and Fear the Walking Dead. Nicotero has directed 37 episodes of The Walking Dead and is the creator of the webseries The Walking Dead: Webisodes.

Reader's Guide

Nicotero's career includes a wide range of notable projects. He worked as FX artist on the 2010 film Predators and created a classic predator figure for the film. He worked as special make-up effects supervisor, co-executive producer and occasional director for the TV series The Walking Dead, as well as acting in a few uncredited cameos. He was at San Diego Comic-Con for the show.

He was a guest on Talking Dead on March 24, 2013, October 12, 2014, February 8, 2015, and February 14, 2016. He also supervises the make-up effects for Fear the Walking Dead. In 2011, Nicotero was interviewed for the 2012 zombie special effects book 'Blood Splatter: A Guide to Cinematic Zombie Violence, Gore and Special Effects' by author Craig W. Chenery. He was a guest on the MythBusters Zombie Special on October 17, 2013.

He designed a Leatherface skin for the 2023 game - The Texas Chain Saw Massacre that bears his name, known as 'Nicotero Leatherface'. It was released October 24, 2023. In 2025, Nicotero developed and hosted the reality television show Guts & Glory on Shudder.