In this paper, we propose a face recognition algorithm using the hidden markov model and neural networks (HMM-NN). In the preprocessing stage, we find edges of a face using the locally adaptive threshold (LAT) scheme and extract features based on generic knowledge of a face, then construct a database with extracted features. In the training stage, we generate HMM parameters for each person by using the forward-backward algorithm. In the recognition stage, we apply probability vlaues calculated by the HMM to subsequent neural networks (NN) as input data. Computer simulation shows that the proposed HMM-NN algorithm gives higher recognition rate compared with conventional face recognition algorithms.