Paula Sutor: The Makeup Artist Behind the Credits—and the Private Marriage to Wayne Knight
Long before Paula Sutor became a search query as “Wayne Knight’s ex-wife,” her name was already appearing in the production credits of films and television shows across nearly three decades.
Paula Sutor is an unusual celebrity-biography subject because the public record contains two very different stories. One is the story of a working makeup professional whose credits stretch from the 1980s through the late 2010s. The other is the much smaller personal-history entry that appears beside her name: she was married to Seinfeld and Jurassic Park actor Wayne Knight from 1996 until their divorce in 2003.
Interest in Sutor has persisted largely because Knight never really left popular culture. In 2026, he remains active, with credits including the animated Among Us series and Sony Pictures Animation’s GOAT. That renewed visibility inevitably sends readers back toward the people connected to his earlier life.
But there is an important distinction: Paula Sutor was not simply “the wife of an actor.” The available production records show a professional career of her own, including department-head and key-makeup positions on television series such as Becker, George Lopez, Shake It Up, The Haunted Hathaways and School of Rock.
BLUF: Paula Sutor is a film and television makeup professional best known publicly as Wayne Knight’s former wife. She married Knight on May 26, 1996, and they divorced in 2003. Her verified production credits include Solar Crisis, Becker, Stick It, Management, Shake It Up and School of Rock. Her birth details, personal fortune and current private life are not reliably documented.
Paula Sutor Was Building a Career Before the “Ex-Wife” Label Took Over
The strongest part of Paula Sutor’s public record is not her marriage. It is her work.
Industry databases identify Sutor as a makeup-department professional rather than an on-screen performer. Her earliest documented credits extend back to the 1980s. The American Film Institute’s catalog, for example, credits Paula Sutor as makeup artist on Billy Galvin, a drama released in 1986.
By 1990, her responsibilities had advanced significantly. On Solar Crisis, she was credited as key makeup artist, working alongside other department specialists on a science-fiction production featuring Tim Matheson, Charlton Heston, Peter Boyle and Jack Palance.
The following year, Sutor was credited on Earth Angel as makeup artist, while Cry in the Wild: The Taking of Peggy Ann also lists her in makeup.
That sequence matters because it establishes a career independent of Wayne Knight. Her professional trajectory was already underway before the 1996 marriage.
Quick Profile: What the Public Record Actually Supports
- Name: Paula Sutor
- Profession: Film and television makeup professional
- Known alternative name: Paula Sutor-Knight
- Best-known personal connection: Former wife of actor Wayne Knight
- Marriage to Wayne Knight: May 26, 1996
- Divorce: 2003
- Documented credits: Billy Galvin, Solar Crisis, Earth Angel, Becker, George Lopez, Stick It, Management, Shake It Up, The Haunted Hathaways, School of Rock
- Current private-life details: Not reliably documented in authoritative sources reviewed
The Credits Tell a Much Longer Story Than Search Snippets Do
The most revealing evidence about Paula Sutor comes from the jobs she performed behind the camera.
On Becker, Sutor was credited across 55 episodes between 1998 and 2004, serving as makeup department head and makeup artist under the name Paula Sutor-Knight.
That is a substantial television run. It places her inside a long-running sitcom production rather than in the background as an occasional freelance credit.
Her television work continued beyond Becker. IMDb’s production record credits her with 39 episodes of George Lopez between 2005 and 2007, 13 episodes of Life on a Stick in 2005, and 16 episodes of Gary Unmarried from 2008 to 2010. On Shake It Up, she served as makeup department head on 13 episodes in 2010–2011.
Her later credits reinforce the same pattern. She worked on The Haunted Hathaways, The Thundermans and School of Rock, with School of Rock crediting her as makeup department head on 35 episodes from 2016 to 2018.
A Career Map Hidden in Plain Sight
| Production | Period | Documented role |
|---|---|---|
| Billy Galvin | 1986 | Makeup artist |
| Solar Crisis | 1990 | Key makeup artist |
| Earth Angel | 1991 | Makeup artist |
| Becker | 1998–2004 | Makeup department head / makeup artist |
| George Lopez | 2005–2007 | Makeup artist |
| Stick It | 2006 | Makeup artist |
| Management | 2008 | Key makeup artist |
| Gary Unmarried | 2008–2010 | Department head makeup artist |
| Shake It Up | 2010–2011 | Makeup department head |
| The Haunted Hathaways | 2013–2015 | Makeup department head |
| School of Rock | 2016–2018 | Makeup department head |
The production credits show progression from makeup artist to key artist and, later, department-head positions. That is a more meaningful description of Sutor’s professional life than the generic label “celebrity spouse.”
May 26, 1996: The Wedding That Connected Paula Sutor to Wayne Knight’s Hollywood Circle
Paula Sutor married Wayne Knight on May 26, 1996, according to Knight’s biographical records and IMDb. Their wedding was held at the home of fellow Seinfeld cast member Michael Richards, a detail repeated in Knight’s biographical listings and Sutor’s IMDb profile.
The timing is significant.
In 1996, Knight was already a recognisable character actor. Seinfeld had made Newman one of television’s most memorable recurring figures, while Knight had appeared in films including Dirty Dancing, Basic Instinct and Jurassic Park. He was also part of the ensemble surrounding the then-new Space Jam, where he played Stan Podolak.
A surviving Space Jam premiere photograph from Sports Illustrated shows Knight and Sutor together at the 1996 event, visually documenting the couple during the period of their marriage.
That photograph also explains some of the continued online curiosity. Sutor briefly occupied a highly visible social orbit around one of the most recognizable supporting actors of 1990s American television and film, yet she did not build a public celebrity profile of her own.
Editorial assessment: Paula Sutor’s historical importance is best understood through the combination of two records—the production credits that document her profession and the marriage records that explain why her name became associated with Wayne Knight. Reducing her biography to the second record alone leaves out the stronger evidence.
Seven Years Later, the Marriage Was Over—and the Public Record Became Thin
Knight’s IMDb biography records the marriage as lasting from May 26, 1996, to 2003, with the relationship ending in divorce. Encyclopedia.com likewise identifies Paula Sutor as Knight’s wife and describes her as a makeup artist and hair stylist, with the marriage beginning in 1996 and ending in 2003.
What is less certain is the precise private story of the breakup.
A number of celebrity-biography websites have circulated explanations involving alleged infidelity or marital conflict. Those claims are not established by a strong primary source in the material reviewed for this article. Because Sutor has not maintained a substantial public interview record on the subject, those allegations should not be turned into fact.
The responsible formulation is simpler: the marriage ended in divorce in 2003, while the detailed private reasons are not adequately verified in the reliable sources reviewed.
That restraint becomes especially important in biographies of people who were famous mainly through association. Absence of documentation is not permission to fill the gaps with speculation.
The Paula Sutor-Knight Name Matters
Production records also provide an important clue about chronology.
During the years of her marriage, Sutor appears in credits under the professional name Paula Sutor-Knight. Becker credits her that way, as do individual episodes such as the series pilot, “L.A. Woman” and “DNR.”
Her IMDb profile explicitly lists Paula Sutor-Knight as an alternative name.
This helps distinguish her employment record from later references simply to “Paula Sutor.”
The Timeline of Paula Sutor’s Publicly Documented Story
1986 — Billy Galvin
The AFI Catalog credits Paula Sutor as a makeup artist on the film, establishing one of the earliest readily verifiable production records found in this review.
1990 — Solar Crisis
Sutor is credited as key makeup artist on the science-fiction feature.
1991 — Earth Angel and Cry in the Wild
Her makeup work appears in the credits for both productions.
May 26, 1996 — Marriage to Wayne Knight
Knight and Sutor marry, with the wedding reportedly taking place at Michael Richards’s home.
1998–2004 — Becker
Sutor works across 55 episodes, including department-head responsibilities, while also being credited as Paula Sutor-Knight.
2003 — Divorce
Knight and Sutor’s marriage ends.
2005–2011 — Continued television production work
Her credits include George Lopez, Life on a Stick, Gary Unmarried and Shake It Up.
2013–2018 — Department-head era
Sutor appears on productions including The Haunted Hathaways and School of Rock, with 35 School of Rock episodes credited between 2016 and 2018.
2026 — Renewed attention through Wayne Knight
Knight remains active, including the animated Among Us series, which premiered in June 2026, and the feature GOAT.
Why Paula Sutor Is Being Searched Again in 2026
There is no clear evidence that Sutor herself has made a new public appearance in 2026. The more plausible explanation is renewed interest in Wayne Knight.
Knight is enjoying another visible stretch of screen work. The official Among Us announcement from Innersloth lists him among the voice cast, and Paramount+ carries the 2026 series. Netflix’s production coverage of GOAT also identifies Knight as the voice of Frank.
That matters for search behaviour. When an actor reappears in current projects, people frequently search backward through the personal history attached to the actor: former spouses, earlier marriages, children and career milestones.
Sutor therefore enters the current conversation indirectly. Her relevance in 2026 is largely a consequence of Knight’s continuing public career combined with the enduring appeal of Seinfeld, Jurassic Park and Space Jam.
People can still encounter Sutor’s name in production databases even though she is not a mainstream media personality. That unusual combination—a documented professional history and a very limited current public profile—creates the information gap that drives many biography searches.
Financial Trajectory: Why Paula Sutor’s Net Worth Cannot Be Defended
There is no authoritative figure for Paula Sutor’s personal net worth in the reliable sources reviewed.
Online celebrity-finance sites sometimes attach estimated fortunes to people connected to prominent actors, but such figures are often generated without documentation of individual property holdings, investments, business interests, salaries or divorce settlements. That methodology cannot establish Sutor’s actual wealth.
Her professional credits demonstrate employment in the entertainment industry, including long television runs and department-head positions. They do not provide enough evidence to calculate lifetime earnings or present-day assets.
Nor is it defensible to infer Sutor’s personal fortune from Wayne Knight’s earnings. A former spouse’s celebrity income is not equivalent to the other spouse’s personal net worth.
The most accurate financial answer is therefore straightforward: Paula Sutor’s current personal net worth is not publicly verified.
The Birth-Date Problem Shows Why This Biography Needs Caution
One recurring weakness in online profiles of Paula Sutor is the presentation of precise biographical details without a strong chain of verification.
The sources reviewed reliably establish her professional identity, her alternative surname, her marriage to Wayne Knight and her production credits. They do not establish a sufficiently strong public record for confidently publishing a precise birth date, current age, current residence or later relationship status.
That distinction is crucial.
A family-history database has circulated a 1952 birth claim for a Paula Marie Sutor, but it is not independently corroborated by the stronger entertainment and biographical sources examined here.
For a defensible biography, an uncorroborated family-tree entry should not be transformed into a definitive age claim.
The same standard applies to questions such as where Sutor lives now, whether she remarried, what she owns or whether she has retired. The public record simply does not support confident answers.
What Became of Paula Sutor After Wayne Knight?
The clearest answer is that her professional record continued for years after the divorce.
Her post-2003 credits include George Lopez, Life on a Stick, Stick It, Gary Unmarried, Management, Shake It Up, The Haunted Hathaways, The Thundermans and School of Rock. That makes it inaccurate to portray her story as ending with the marriage.
At the same time, the available credits do not establish a detailed public biography after 2018. IMDb’s current profile remains centered on her makeup-department history rather than a contemporary personal profile.
That combination suggests a straightforward interpretation: Sutor maintained a professional presence for many years but did not develop the kind of public-facing celebrity identity that produces extensive interviews, profiles and regular coverage.
Paula Sutor and Wayne Knight: The Relationship in Context
| Question | Verified position |
|---|---|
| Was Paula Sutor married to Wayne Knight? | Yes |
| Wedding date | May 26, 1996 |
| Wedding location | Michael Richards’s home, according to Knight’s biographical records |
| Divorce | 2003 |
| Profession of Paula Sutor | Makeup professional |
| Alternative professional name | Paula Sutor-Knight |
| Children with Wayne Knight | No verified public record establishing children from this marriage |
| Current residence | Not reliably documented |
| Current spouse | Not reliably documented |
| Personal net worth | Not publicly verified |
The marriage dates and professional identity are supported by IMDb and biographical sources; the absence of verified children, current spouse and financial information reflects the limited public record rather than a claim that no such private facts exist.
The Better Way to Read Paula Sutor’s Story
Paula Sutor’s biography becomes clearer when the order of importance is reversed.
She was first a working entertainment professional whose name appears in film and television credits. She later became publicly searchable as Wayne Knight’s wife. After their divorce, her professional credits continued, while her personal life became increasingly difficult to document.
That is a very different story from the standard “celebrity ex-wife” template.
The most useful evidence is not gossip about the marriage. It is the production record: key makeup work on Solar Crisis, a major television run on Becker, makeup work on George Lopez, department-head duties on Shake It Up, The Haunted Hathaways and School of Rock, and the continued presence of her name across entertainment databases.
The public record does not reveal everything about Paula Sutor. It reveals enough, however, to show that “Wayne Knight’s ex-wife” is only one chapter of her biography—and arguably not the most substantive one.
FAQ: Paula Sutor, Wayne Knight’s Ex-Wife and Makeup Career
Who is Paula Sutor?
Paula Sutor is a film and television makeup professional who became publicly known beyond the production industry because she married actor Wayne Knight in 1996. IMDb identifies her as a member of the makeup department and credits her on numerous television and film productions, including Becker, George Lopez, Stick It, Management, Shake It Up and School of Rock.
Was Paula Sutor Wayne Knight’s first wife?
Yes. Paula Sutor was Wayne Knight’s first wife. IMDb’s biographical record lists Sutor from May 26, 1996, until their divorce in 2003. Knight later married Clare de Chenu in 2006.
What did Paula Sutor do for a living?
Paula Sutor worked in professional film and television makeup. Her credits include roles as makeup artist, key makeup artist, makeup department head and department-head makeup artist. Her work spans productions from Billy Galvin in 1986 through School of Rock in 2016–2018.
When did Paula Sutor and Wayne Knight divorce?
Paula Sutor and Wayne Knight divorced in 2003. The precise private circumstances of their separation are not sufficiently established by authoritative sources reviewed for this profile, so claims about a specific cause should not be presented as proven fact.
Did Paula Sutor and Wayne Knight have children?
There is no verified public record in the authoritative biographical sources reviewed showing that Paula Sutor and Wayne Knight had children together. Wayne Knight’s later marriage to Clare de Chenu produced his publicly documented son, Liam.
What is Paula Sutor’s net worth?
Paula Sutor’s personal net worth is not publicly verified. Although her production record demonstrates a long entertainment-industry career, there are no authoritative financial records in the sources reviewed that establish her assets, investments, earnings history or present-day wealth. Celebrity websites offering a specific number should therefore be treated as estimates rather than verified financial reporting.
The Quiet Ending Is Part of the Evidence
Paula Sutor does not have the sort of public archive that surrounds Wayne Knight. There are no dependable, recent interviews that map her private life, no authoritative source establishing a current fortune, and no strong evidence that she has chosen to remain in entertainment as a public figure.
What does survive is more useful than a manufactured celebrity narrative.
Her name exists in the professional record. It appears on films, television episodes and department credits. It appears beside Wayne Knight’s in a documented 1996 marriage and then returns to her own career after the relationship ended.
That is the part of Paula Sutor’s story that can withstand scrutiny.
She was Wayne Knight’s ex-wife. But the public record shows that she was also a working makeup professional with a career that continued well beyond that marriage.
Sources & Verification
- American Film Institute Catalog: Billy Galvin production credits, including Paula Sutor as makeup artist. (AFI Catalog) AFI Catalog — Billy Galvin
- IMDb: Paula Sutor’s professional profile, alternative name Paula Sutor-Knight, marriage record and film/television credits. (IMDb) IMDb — Paula Sutor
- IMDb: Becker full production credits documenting Sutor’s makeup-department-head role across 55 episodes.
- IMDb: Solar Crisis production credits identifying Paula Sutor as key makeup artist.
- Sports Illustrated: 1996 Space Jam premiere photo identifying Wayne Knight and Paula Sutor together.
- Innersloth: Official 2026 announcement for the Among Us animated series and Wayne Knight’s voice role.
- Paramount+: Official Among Us series listing showing the 2026 release and Wayne Knight in the voice cast.
- Netflix Tudum: Current GOAT cast information identifying Wayne Knight as Frank.
Editorial Disclaimer
This profile relies on publicly accessible production records, entertainment databases, biographical references and official current-project sources. Paula Sutor maintains a comparatively private public profile, so her birth date, current residence, relationship status, personal assets and other private details are not treated as fact unless supported by reliable documentation. Unverified celebrity-finance estimates and unsupported claims about the causes of her divorce have been excluded.
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