As long-suffering Sheridan Crane on NBC's Passions (1999-2008), McKenzie Westmore secured herself a spot in daytime TV history books. When she makes her debut as host of Syfy Cannel's latest reality/competition series, Face Off, premiering Wednesday, January 26 at 10/9c, she secures her rightful place in her real-life family's history. With her latest gig as host of Face Off, which pits wannabe special effects makeup artists against each other week after week, McKenzie continues her family's long history of involvement in Hollywood's special effects for movies and TV.

McKenzie's great-grandfather, George Westmore is a true Hollywood legend, having started his career as a wigmaker. He soon founded Metro Picture's first hair and makeup department back in 1917. Prior to this, it was customary for actors in silent films to apply their own makeup. Demand for Westmore's services quickly grew and he enlisted the help of his sons Monte, Perc, Ern, Wally, Bud and Frank. Over the years, his sons each branched out and shared their expertise as heads of all the major motion picture studios' makeup departments.

Then next generation of the Westmore family continued the family tradition. Monte's son Marvin established the Westmore Academy of Cosmetic Arts in Burbank, California in 1981. His brotherMichael (McKenzie's father) also followed in his family's footsteps. Michael's award-winning special effects makeup has been seen in everything from his 1985 Oscar-winning transformation of Eric Stoltz into Cher's facially deformed son inMask, to numerous Star Trek incarnations, including TV's Star Trek: The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine and Voyager, as well as four Star Trek feature films. In 1984's 2010: The Year We Make Contact, Westmore's skillful artistry aged youthful looking Keir Dullea from his forties to his eighties for the sequel to the 1968 sci-fi classic, 2001: A Space Odyssey.

As for McKenzie, she made her first appearance as an actress at the age of three when she was cast as Robert  De Niro's daughter in 1980's Raging Bull, a film for which her father, Michael created the makeup.

Keeping things in the family, McKenzie eventually landed roles in the Star Trek film Insurrection , as well as TV's Star Trek: The Next Generation and Voyager series. She also guested on 1994's Weird Science TV series, where her cousin, Kevin Westmore was a makeup artist. 

Of course McKenzie's big break came in 1999 when she was cast as Sheridan Crane for NBC's sci-fi-centric soap opera, Passions. Despite her real-life family's penchant for outrageous makeup effects, as Sheridan, McKenzie's makeup usually consisted of subtle changes from daytime to evening. Even so, she was never far from the outlandish makeup and supernatural storylines for which Passions was famous.

As host of Syfy's new Face Off, McKenzie will oversee the action as contestants are given specific challenges to create a certain look each week. Like most competition/reality shows, Face Off's McKenzie will enlist the aide of a panel of experts consisting of Glenn Hetrick, Ve Neill and Patrick Tatopoulos. 

Hetrick, a former special effects designer, fabricator and sculptor for everything from Buffy The Vampire Slayer to Babylon 5. As CEO of Optic Nerve Studios. he has overseen design effects on Crossing Jordan; the Hugh Jackman film, The Prestige, NBC's Heroes, CBS's hit crime drama CSI: NY and even custom wardrobe for Lady Gaga.

Ve Neill, a thirty-year veteran of movie makeup is a four-time Saturn Award-winner, a three-time Oscar-winner and a two-time Emmy-winner and BAFTA honoree. Among her most famous work: The Lost Boys, Beetlejuice, Galaxy Quest, Edward Scissorhands and Ed Wood. She's also worked on Johnny Depp for his roles in Pirates of the Caribbean and Blow . During the latter, her masterful makeup aged Depp some sixty years. Outside the realm of sci-fi, she also transformed Robin Williams into the bumbling but lovable Mrs. Doubtfire,

Face Off's third and final judge is director/creature designer Patrick Tatopoulos. Originally from France, he relocated to the US to pursue a career in movies. Creature design for 1993's Super Mario Bros. movie is among his first jobs. He followed that with creature design for such films as Stargate,Independence Day, Battlefield Earth,I Am Legend, 10,000 BC, Bram Stoker's Dracula, Godzilla, Underworld and Underworld: Evolution among others. He even created special effects for the children's film Suart Little.

When Face Off debuts Wednesday night at 10/9c, Westmore will introduce the show's 12 contestants and assign them their first task. Up first, the contestants are asked to create a human/animal hybrid based on elements from three exotic animals that are brought into the lab for reference.

Face Off, with former daytime diva McKenzie Westmore as host, premieres Wednesday, January 26 at 10/9c on Syfy. For more about the show, CLICK HERE.  CLICK HERE to check out my NATIONAL DAYTIME TV COLUMN.For the inside scoop on Music City news, CLICK HERE to SUBSCRIBE to my NASHVILLE ENTERTAINMENT COLUMN.  CLICK HERE to subscribe to my PRETTY LITTLE LIARS COLUMN.