Tony Gardner

Career overview

Tony Gardner is an American makeup designer, special‑effects designer and puppeteer born on September 25, 1965 in Cleveland, Ohio. Over a career that includes more than seventy‑nine credited projects, he has become known for his work in costume and makeup across a wide range of feature films. Gardner’s filmography includes designing and creating effects for titles such as Zombieland, 127 Hours, Smokin’ Aces, Hairspray, Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa, The Addams Family, Seed of Chucky, Shallow Hal and There’s Something About Mary. His expertise extends into music‑video production, where he helped create the iconic helmets worn by Daft Punk and built an animatronic robot for their “Technologic” video. Gardner also wrote and directed Daft Punk’s music video for “The Prime Time of Your Life,” and he served as associate producer on the duo’s feature‑length directorial debut, Daft Punk’s Electroma, contributing to the creation of a robot‑filled world. Recognized by The Movie Database for his contributions to costume and makeup, Gardner’s diverse body of work reflects a blend of practical effects, puppetry and visual design that has shaped the look of numerous contemporary films and music projects.