Pittsburgh Native wins British film award

Greg Nicotero has a companion for his 2000 Emmy Award.

On Sunday evening he won a BAFTA (British Academy of Film and Television Arts) Award in from London.

The Pittsburgh native phoned his uncle, Sam Nicotero, an actor who lives in North Versailles, to disclose news of the win.

Sam notified a few friends to tune in the delayed broadcast of the awards show, presented on the U.S. edition of the BBC at 8 p.m.

Greg Nicotero's award, shared with partners Howard Berger and Nikki Gooley, for the makeup and hair for "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe," was not among the presentations telecast on the streamlined two-hour version shown here, but it was posted on BAFTA's website by mid-evening.

Nicotero had won a 2000 Emmy for his special effects for the miniseries "Dune."

He's a former McCandless resident and alumni of the Sewickley Academy and Westminster College who lives with his wife, assistant director Shari Nicotero, and their son in Tarzana, Calif.

He's the son of retired Dr. Jim and Connie Nicotero.

Nicotero and Berger co-founded (with former partner Robert Kurtzman) KNB EFX Group, Inc, which does the special effects, makeup and unusual costumes for 25 to 40 movies and TV series a year.

"The Chronicles of Narnia" also is up for three Academy Awards March 5, including makeup, but because the criteria for configuring Oscar categories and official nominees is somewhat different from BAFTA's, "Narnia's" makeup nominees consist only of Berger and Tami Lane.