Kurtzman began his career in 1984 when he moved from his hometown of
Crestline, Ohio, to
Hollywood, California, to pursue his interest in
prosthetic makeup, better known as special makeup effects. In 1988, along with
Gregory Nicotero and
Howard Berger, he formed
K.N.B. EFX Group, a special makeup effects studio which has gone on to work on over 400 film and television projects. K.N.B. has won numerous awards, including an
Emmy Award in 2001 for their work on the 2000
Sci Fi Channel miniseries ''
Frank Herbert's Dune. They were awarded an Academy Award in 2006 for achievement in makeup for The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe''. After establishing himself in the special effects arena, Kurtzman turned to directing and producing. His first project was
From Dusk till Dawn, for which he wrote the original story, served as co-producer, and created the special effects.
The Demolitionist marked Kurtzman's directorial debut. He went on to direct
Wishmaster, in which he had an uncredited cameo as "piano wire guy". In 2002, Kurtzman left K.N.B. EFX Group. Kurtzman moved his family to Crestline, Ohio, and started his own production company, Precinct 13 Entertainment. Kurtzman also directed the action-thriller film
Deadly Impact, which was written by Alexander Vesha. In 2017, Kurtzman took on the Makeup/ MUFX Co-Department Head position for the series
The Haunting of Hill House directed by Mike Flanagan. Kurtzman moved his studio to Atlanta and formed Robert Kurtzman MUFX, LLC. His new company has worked on films such as
Jay and Silent Bob Reboot,
Ma and
Doctor Sleep. == Awards ==