When he ran the make-up effects department at New World Pictures, Roger Corman called him "...the best in the business..." John Carl Buechler was born in Belleville, Illinois. An actor, writer, producer, director, special effects artist, he has always been in love with filmmaking. He was the first person in history to make his way into the director's chair by way of make-up effects superstardom. Premiere Magazine has quoted him as saying, "if you can pull a performance out of a piece of latex, you can do it with actors...."