Early life

Mark Payne started his career as a performer. At the age of twelve, Payne began making home movies of himself performing as his favorite singers. He involved his mother, grandmother and neighbors in the creative process. Acting as his own agent, he used these home movies as demo tapes which led to headlining dates in Europe and Australia. By the age of sixteen, he had performed as the opening act for Bob Hope

Bob Hope

Bob Hope, KBE, KCSG, KSS was a British-born American comedian and actor who appeared in vaudeville, on Broadway, and in radio, television and movies. He was also noted for his work with the US Armed Forces and his numerous USO shows entertaining American military personnel...

 and Milton Berle

Milton Berle

Milton Berlinger , better known as Milton Berle, was an American comedian and actor. As the manic host of NBC's Texaco Star Theater , in 1948 he was the first major star of U.S. television and as such became known as Uncle Miltie and Mr...

.

Payne morphed his talent into several incarnations. He was a successful performer, singer and recording artist. He also designed clothing for a well-known brand and under his own name. Many celebrities including Madonna

Madonna (entertainer)

Madonna is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983...

 and Cher

Cher

Cher is an American recording artist, television personality, actress, director, record producer and philanthropist. Referred to as the Goddess of Pop, she has won an Academy Award, a Grammy Award, an Emmy Award, three Golden Globes and a Cannes Film Festival Award among others for her work in...

 have purchased his clothing.

Makeup artist

In 1996, while in Texas taking care of his dying grandmother, Payne followed in his mother's footsteps and began working as a makeup artist. In 1997, he met makeup artist Laura Mercier

Laura Mercier

Laura Mercier is a French make-up artist who has lent her name to a line of cosmetics.-External links:*...

 who encouraged him to move to New York. In 1997, Payne collaborated on a Harper Collins book called Double Take: The Art Of The Celebrity MakeOver.

In 1997, Payne transformed Sally Jessy Raphael

Sally Jessy Raphaël

Sally Lowenthal , better known as Sally Jessy Raphael, is an American talk show host, known for the eponymous Sally talk show she hosted for two decades.-Early years:...

 into Liza Minnelli

Liza Minnelli

Liza May Minnelli is an American actress and singer. She is the daughter of singer and actress Judy Garland and film director Vincente Minnelli....

 launching his career in television makeup. He then began working on One Life To Live

One Life to Live

One Life to Live is an American soap opera which debuted on July 15, 1968 and has been broadcast on the ABC television network. Created by Agnes Nixon, the series was the first daytime drama to primarily feature racially and socioeconomically diverse characters and consistently emphasize social...

, gaining him his first Emmy nomination in 2001. In 2004, Payne won his first Emmy for his work on Regis & Kelly, winning a second Emmy the following year. In 2008, 2009 and 2011, he was nominated for six Emmy's for his work on the Food Network series Sandra Lee Semi-Homemade.

Payne has appeared as a makeover expert on television shows including The Rosie O’Donnell Show; The View; Fashion Emergency and Live With Regis & Kelly. Considered "a renowned leader in the field of beauty", he is a regular contributor to Elle

Elle (magazine)

Elle is a worldwide magazine of French origin that focuses on women's fashion, beauty, health, and entertainment. Elle is also the world's largest fashion magazine. It was founded by Pierre Lazareff and his wife Hélène Gordon in 1945. The title, in French, means "she".-History:Elle was founded in...

; In Style

In Style

InStyle is a monthly women’s fashion magazine published in the United States by Time Inc. Along with advertising, the magazine offers articles about beauty, fashion, home, entertaining, charitable endeavors and celebrity lifestyles. Launched in 1993 , InStyle currently has a circulation of 1.7...

 and Allure

Allure (magazine)

Allure is the leading U.S. women’s beauty magazine, published monthly by Condé Nast in New York City. It was founded in 1991 by editor in chief Linda Wells, who has been at the helm of the magazine ever since. From its inception, the magazine has been widely recognized for its intelligent,...

 fashion magazines. In November 2006, he received The Best Of Beauty award by Allure

Allure (magazine)

Allure is the leading U.S. women’s beauty magazine, published monthly by Condé Nast in New York City. It was founded in 1991 by editor in chief Linda Wells, who has been at the helm of the magazine ever since. From its inception, the magazine has been widely recognized for its intelligent,...

 magazine.

He has worked with numerous celebrities including Beyonce, Courtney Thorne-Smith

Courtney Thorne-Smith

Courtney Thorne-Smith is an American actress. She is best known for her roles as Alison Parker on Melrose Place, Georgia Thomas on Ally McBeal, and Cheryl Mabel in According to Jim, as well as her recurring role in Two and a Half Men as Lyndsey McElroy.-Early life:She was born in San Francisco,...

, Jane Seymour

Jane Seymour (actress)

Jane Seymour, OBE is an English actress best known for her performances in the James Bond film Live and Let Die , East of Eden , Onassis: The Richest Man in the World , and the American television series Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman...

, Paris Hilton

Paris Hilton

Paris Whitney Hilton is an American businesswoman, heiress, and socialite. She is a great-granddaughter of Conrad Hilton . Hilton is known for her controversial participation in a sex tape in 2003, and appearance on the television series The Simple Life alongside fellow socialite and childhood...

 and Kelly Ripa

Kelly Ripa

Kelly Ripa is an American actress and television host. Since February 2001, she has served as the co-host of talk show Live with Regis and Kelly, along with Regis Philbin and now solo host of Live! With Kelly...

.

McCartney divorce

His friendship with Paul McCartney

Paul McCartney

Sir James Paul McCartney, MBE, Hon RAM, FRCM is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. Formerly of The Beatles and Wings , McCartney is listed in Guinness World Records as the "most successful musician and composer in popular music history", with 60 gold discs and sales of 100...

 and Heather Mills put him in the middle of the media frenzy surrounding their divorce. Payne was often at Mills side during public appearances and the very public divorce trial in February 2008. In July 2006, while with Mills, Payne was assaulted by Jay Kaycappa in Brighton

Brighton

Brighton is the major part of the city of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex, England on the south coast of Great Britain...

, England. Kaycappa was a notorious paparazzo trying to photograph Mills for the tabloids. There was a much publicized trial the following summer. Kaycappa, who had 132 previous criminal convictions, was found guilty and sentenced to a 140-hour community order and ordered to pay Payne £50., Mills £100. and £1,000. court costs.

Currently

Heather Mills first made Payne aware of the importance of “Green” products and the Vegan lifestyle. He has become very conscious of the environment and believes "you are what you eat."

While working on a tribute video about Payne, a friend asked Payne for his assistance in compiling film footage from his childhood performances. Because of Payne's intimate knowledge of the hundreds of hours of footage, it was a natural decision for him to direct. In 2008, he directed his first film Get Happy which has won fourteen awards.

Sources

• Double Take: The Art of the Celebrity Makeover - Harper Collins ISBN 0060988061
• Elle May 2008 issue page 210, 212
• InStyle April 2007 issue page 453
• Allure November 2006 page 165

External links

• http://www.gethappythemovie.com/