Born in New York City. Kristi Zea stumbled into the world of moviemaking in the late 1970s. Despite having attended the High School for the Performing Arts, she intended to pursue a career in journalism, but while an undergraduate began working as a stylist for a commercial photographer. Although Zea did not like the work, it was lucrative and she discovered she possessed a flair for the work. Woody Allen hired her as a design consultant on his dramatic INTERIORS (1978), which, although shot in color, had a mostly black-and-white look to it. Alan Parker hired Zea to create the costumes for the high school students in his FAME (1980) and her career was on its way. She subsequently designed the costumes for Parker's SHOOT THE MOON (1981) and BIRDY (1984) and moved up to production designer on ANGEL HEART (1987). Zea also forged collaborations with James L Brooks, creating the period clothes for TERMS OF ENDEARMENT (1983) serving as art director on BROADCAST NEWS (1987) and designing the production of AS GOOD AS IT GETS (1997). Zea really came into her own, however, working with Jonathan Demme as production designer on MARRIED TO THE MOB (1988). She created settings that ranged from a gaudy and garish look of a Lower East Side tenement to a candy-colored beauty parlor and worked in tandem with costume designer Colleen Atwood who designed the appropriately bright colored clothing. Zea continued to create impressive urban looks for the Martin Scorsese-directed "Life Lessons" segment of NEW YORK STORIES (1989), Scorsese's gangster epic GOODFELLAS (1990) and Best Picture winner THE DEPARTED (2006), Demme's Oscar®-winning thriller THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS (1991) as well as his PHILADELPHIA (1993) and BELOVED (1998). She was production designer for Brett Ratner's THE FAMILY MAN (2000) and RED DRAGON (2002) and Roger Michell's CHANGING LANES (also 2002). Other design credits include THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE (2004), THE BRAVE ONE (2007), REVOLUTIONARY ROAD (2008), and CONFESSIONS OF A SHOPAHOLIC (scheduled for release in 2009). Zea has also begun a secondary career as a director, beginning with a Laurie Anderson music video. She helmed a 30-minute TV-movie, "A Domestic Dilemma" for HBO's "Women & Men II" (1991) and is developing a feature with Demme as producer.  Nominated for Best Picture of the Year 1997: AS GOOD AS IT GETS - Producer at Gracie Films (w. James L. Brooks & Bridget Johnson) 1 nomination