Patrick Tatopoulos

Patrick Tatopoulos spent the early parts of his life in France and Greece before coming to the United States to build creatures for film special effects departments. After beginning his career on the movie adaptation of the video game "Super Mario Bros.," Tatopoulos was hired to design the appearance of Roland Emmerich's 1994 science fiction action movie "Stargate," which would showcase Tatopoulos' talent for creating worlds. Through his distinctive vision and designs, Tatopoulos quickly advanced to production designer. He created singular looks for spectacular action and science fiction blockbusters like "Independence Day," "Dark City," and "I, Robot." As his career progressed, Tatopoulos became a frequent collaborator with directors Emmerich, David Twohy, and Alex Proyas. In 2003, he was the production designer for director Len Wiseman on the supernatural action movie "Underworld," and this would lead to another fruitful relationship for Tatopoulos. After contributing to the sequel "Underworld: Evolution," also directed by Wiseman, Tatopoulos was given the reins for the third picture in the series. The 2009 prequel "Underworld: Rise of the Lycans," which featured actors Michael Sheen and Bill Nighy, was Tatopoulos' first film as a director. In 2011, Tatopoulos began a regular role as a judge for the special effects-themed television reality show competition "Face Off."