Whether sleek, sophisticated or edgy, fashion and celebrity hairdresser Mark Townsend knows how to bring out the beauty in everyone. His confident attitude and keen attention to detail have rendered Mark Townsend one of the most highly regarded hair stylists in the business. Mark has been fortunate to create beautiful hairstyles for some of Hollywood’s leading ladies including Cate Blanchett, Reese Witherspoon, Natalie Portman, Rachel Weisz, Diane Lane, Penelope Cruz, Mary Kate & Ashley Olsen and many more.

An army brat, Mark hails from Lakeland, Florida. After completing high school, Mark entered cosmetology school and quickly found his calling. He supported himself throughout beauty school by assisting at a local hair salon, where he eventually secured a full-time position after graduation.

Mark eventually decided to move on to bigger and better endeavors, and his strong interest in fashion led him to New York City where he began assisting well-known hairdressers such as Oribe, Danilo and Sally Hershberger. Eventually his film work led him to major productions like Vanilla Sky and Minority Report, working closely with stars including Tom Cruise and Penelope Cruz.

Today, Mark’s career spans every aspect of the business, from photo shoots and advertising campaigns to fashion and celebrity. He has managed to collect a loyal following of clients including top photographers Terry Richardson, Paul Jasmine, and Maciek Kobielski, and has also worked with top magazines such as Esquire, Glamour, Harper’s Bazaar, InStyle, Vanity Fair, Vogue and W. Mark is in maximum demand during awards season, giving Reese Witherspoon a most talked about sleek look for the 2007 Golden Globe Awards and Cate Blanchett a modern up do for the 2007 Screen Actors Guild Awards.

In 2007, Mark partnered with Matrix hair care to serve as chief celebrity stylist for their Hollywood salon brands of choice, BIOLAGE and VAVOOM. Most recently, Mark helped Tinseltown’s leading ladies get red carpet ready for Oscar Week parties at the Vavoom Gold Heat Salon, where he styled celebrities including Oscar nominee Abigail Breslin, Christina Ricci, Hayden Panettiere, Emily Deschanel, Kristen Bell, Stacy Keibler and Michelle Trachtenberg. Mark also gave Reese Witherspoon and Cate Blanchett their glamorous looks for the 2007 Academy Awards.

Mark is based in Los Angeles and works regularly in New York. Of his chosen profession Mark concludes, “I never see myself tiring of this or becoming jaded. Any stylist will tell you, hairdressing is a profession where you’re constantly learning something new all the time. It’s always evolving and I love it.”