Cinematographers
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The cinematographers are the professionals in charge of the technical and artistic aspects involved in the shooting and development of the film, i.e. movie photography. The cinematographer, often referred to as the director of photography, acts as the film director’s main visual collaborator. During the early days of motion pictures, it was often the director who doubled up as the cinematographer. But with advancements in photography techniques and artificial lightning, the art of cinematography demanded the services of a separate dedicated specialist. The cinematographer’s job is a highly responsible one. In the preproduction stage, the director and the cinematographer discuss the overall vision for film, before embarking on a scene by scene discussion. He then determines the requirements for each scene, arranges for the required equipment and coordinates with other crew members to begin the production stage. At this stage he works closely with the director and guides his crew to ensure that each scene is shot to match the director’s vision. He has to decide the combination of cameras, the camera setups, and lighting arrangements. They also need to ensure that everything is kept within the photography budget. Browse the biographies listed below to explore the life and works of various world famous cinematographers and learn about their lives through their timelines and information about their personal and professional lives.
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1
Alfonso Cuarón
(Mexican Filmmaker Known for Directing Films in a Variety of Genres)
Birthdate: November 28, 1961
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Mexico City, Mexico
Alfonso Cuarón is a Mexican filmmaker who works in a wide range of genres. He has multiple romantic, action, drama, and fantasy movies to his credit. The son of a doctor and a biochemist, he chose an unconventional profession for himself. After completing his studies, he began working as a director. He has received four Academy Awards.
Birthdate: July 30, 1962
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Los Angeles, California, United States
Alton Brown soared to fame as the creator of the Food Network culinary show Good Eats. He has also hosted shows such as Iron Chef America and Feasting on Asphalt. He has authored several bestselling cookbooks. He also created two culinary shows on YouTube during the COVID-19 lockdown.
3
Steven Soderbergh
(Director, Producer)
Birthdate: January 14, 1963
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Atlanta, Georgia, United States
Birthdate: May 24, 1949
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Torquay
English cinematographer Roger Deakins is known for his collaborations with ace directors such as Sam Mendes and the Coen brothers. He gained fame with his Academy Award-winning cinematography in the films 1917 and Blade Runner 2049, and his work on The Shawshank Redemption and A Beautiful Mind.
Birthdate: January 31, 1969
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Los Angeles, California
Daniel Moder, husband of legendary actor Julia Roberts, is best known for his Emmy-nominated cinematography in the TV drama The Normal Heart. He is also known for his camera work and cinematography in the films Secret in Their Eyes, Spider-Man 3, Mr. & Mrs. Smith, and The Mexican.
6
Todd Fisher
(Director, Cinematographer, Producer and Actor of Television Films and Documentaries)
Birthdate: February 24, 1958
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Burbank, California, United States
Todd Fisher is an American cinematographer, director, producer, and actor. The son of Debbie Reynolds and Eddie Fisher, Todd played a major role in carrying on the legacy of his parents by serving important positions in the Debbie Reynolds Hotel & Casino and Debbie Reynolds Management Company, Inc. In 2013, he became the CEO of the Hollywood Motion Picture Museum.
7
David Lean(English Film Director and Producer Who is Considered One of the Most Important Figures in British Cinema)
Birthdate: March 25, 1908
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Croydon, Surrey, England
Died: April 16, 1991
David Lean was an English film producer, director, editor, and screenwriter. He is best remembered for directing large-scale epics like The Bridge on the River Kwai, A Passage to India, and Lawrence of Arabia. David Lean is widely regarded as one of the most prominent figures in British cinema. He won many prestigious awards, including two Academy Awards.
8
Robert Osborne
(Actor, Television actor, Biographer, Film actor, Historian, Journalist, Screenwriter, Cinematographer, Film producer)
Birthdate: May 3, 1932
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Colfax
Died: March 6, 2017
Best known for his over two-decade-long stint as a Turner Classic Movies host, Robert Osborne also gained fame for his penning The Official History of the Academy Awards and the National Film Book Award-winning 50 Golden Years of Oscar. A qualified journalist, he also wrote columns for The Hollywood Reporter.
9
Louis Malle
(Screenwriter, Film producer, Film director, Camera operator, Cinematographer, Actor)
Birthdate: October 30, 1932
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Thumeries
Died: November 23, 1995
Louis Malle was a French film director, screenwriter, and producer best known for his film Le Monde du silence, which won the Academy Award for Best Documentary in 1957. He was also the recipient of two Golden Lion awards, one of the only four directors to have achieved this feat. He was active in both French cinema and Hollywood.
10
Zack Snyder(Director, Producer and Cinematographer Known for His Films: ‘Dawn of the Dead’, ‘300’ and ‘Watchmen’)
Birthdate: March 1, 1966
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Green Bay, Wisconsin, United States
Zack Snyder is an American filmmaker who specializes in making superhero and comic book films, such as 300, Man of Steel, and Justice League. His style of filmmaking has inspired a lot of young directors all over the world. Away from the film industry, Zack plays an important role in the lives of his children, four of whom he adopted.
11
Emmanuel Lubezki
(Mexican Cinematographer who is Known for Groundbreaking Uses of Natural Lighting and Continuous Uninterrupted Shots in Cinematography)
Birthdate: November 30, 1964
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Mexico City, Mexico
Emmanuel Lubezki is a Mexican cinematographer best known for his innovative uses of continuous uninterrupted shots and natural lighting in cinematography. A member of the American Society of Cinematographers, Lubezki has worked with acclaimed American directors like Tim Burton, Mike Nichols, and Michael Mann. Emmanuel Lubezki is the first person to win three consecutive Academy Awards for Best Cinematography.
12
Adam Wingard
(Director Known for His Film ‘You’re Next’, ‘The Guest’, ‘Blair Witch' and 'Death Note')
Birthdate: December 3, 1982
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Oak Ridge, Tennessee, United States
Adam Wingard is an American filmmaker. A multi-talented personality, Wingard has worked as a director, editor, screenwriter, actor, cinematographer, and composer on several projects. Adam Wingard is best known for directing the 2007 horror film Pop Skull, which won the Best Feature Film award and the Jury award at the Indianapolis International Film Festival and Boston Underground Film Festival respectively.
13
Agnes Varda
(Filmmaker and Pioneer of French New Wave Film Movement of the 1950s and 1960s)
Birthdate: May 30, 1928
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Ixelles, Brussels, Belgium
Died: March 29, 2019
Agnes Varda was a Belgian-born French film director, screenwriter, and artist. She was a key figure in the development of the French New Wave film movement of the 1950s and 1960s. She often made films addressing women’s issues and other social justice problems. She was honored with an Academy Honorary Award. She was married to director Jacques Demy.
14
Halyna Hutchins
(Ukrainian Cinematographer)
Birthdate: 1979 AD
Birthplace: Horodets', Ukraine
Died: October 21, 2021
Birthdate: August 28, 1899
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Taishan, Guangdong, China
Died: July 12, 1976
Chinese-American James Wong Howe Known, known as The Poet of the Camera, had aspired to be a boxer but then earned his living as a bellboy and a cleaner, before stepping into cinematography. The Oscar-winning cinematographer used innovative techniques with the camera, such as roller-skating to film fighting scenes.
Birthdate: April 29, 1956
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Cambridge
Died: July 16, 2012
Martin Kenzie was a British cinematographer and second unit director. One of the most important members of the British Society of Cinematographers, Kenzie worked in popular and critically acclaimed films like The Shining, Aliens, Return of the Jedi, and The King's Speech. Martin Kenzie died at the age of 56 due to cancer.
17
Gareth Edwards
(British Filmmaker Best Known for His Independent Science-Fiction Horror Film 'Monsters')
Birthdate: June 1, 1975
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Nuneaton, Warwickshire, England
Gareth Edwards is a British filmmaker best known for his 2010 independent science-fiction horror film Monsters, for which he worked as the writer, cinematographer, director, and visual effects artist. He then went on to direct films like Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and Godzilla.
18
Nicolas Roeg
(English Film Director and Cinematographer)
Birthdate: August 15, 1928
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: London
Nicolas Roeg was an English cinematographer and film director. He is best remembered for directing films like Performance, The Man Who Fell to Earth, Don't Look Now, and The Witches. A highly influential filmmaker, Nicolas Roeg is credited with inspiring other prominent directors like Christopher Nolan, Steven Soderbergh, and Danny Boyle.
19
Janusz Kamiński
(Cinematographer)
Birthdate: June 27, 1959
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Ziebice, Poland
20
Damon Herriman
(Actor, Cinematographer, Screenwriter, Film director, Film producer)
Birthdate: March 31, 1970
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Adelaide
21
Alexandra Pelosi
(Journalist)
Birthdate: October 5, 1970
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: San Francisco, California, United States
Alexandra Pelosi is an American documentary filmmaker, journalist, and writer. Many of her documentary films including Journeys with George, which she made from her recordings of George W. Bush's presidential campaign, have earned her critical acclaim. Alexandra Pelosi has also contributed immensely to NBC News where she worked as a field producer for a decade.
22
Caleb Deschanel
(Cinematographer, Director and Father of Actresses Zooey Deschanel and Emily Deschanel)
Birthdate: September 21, 1944
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
Caleb Deschanel is an American film and television director and cinematographer. In 2000, he won the American Society of Cinematographers Award for Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography for his work in the epic historical revisionist war film, The Patriot. Deschanel has also played an important role in shaping the careers of his daughters, Zooey and Emily Deschanel.
Birthdate: December 30, 1945
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: New York City, United States
Lloyd Kaufman is an American film producer, director, actor, and screenwriter. Kaufman is credited with co-founding Troma Entertainment film studio along with producer Michael Herz. Kaufman is also credited with directing many successful films like Tromeo and Juliet and The Toxic Avenger. As an actor, he played important roles in films, such as The Transfiguration.
24
Eleanor Coppola
(Film director, Actor, Screenwriter)
Birthdate: May 4, 1936
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Los Angeles
Eleanor Coppola is an American artist, documentary filmmaker, and writer. The wife of Francis Ford Coppola, Eleanor has often been credited for the success of her husband. Eleanor Coppola is also credited with founding an organization called Circle of Memory which aims at commemorating loved ones. She also manages the Rubicon Estate Winery which is owned by her family.
25
Hoyte van Hoytema
(Dutch-Swedish Cinematographer Known for His Collaborations with Director Christopher Nolan)
Birthdate: October 4, 1971
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Horgen, Switzerland
Born in Switzerland to Dutch parents, Hoyte van Hoytema feels more connected to Sweden than any other country in the world. Currently a Swedish citizen, he lives and works in Sweden, having Swedish wife and daughter. He has worked as cinematographer in numerous films, documentaries and television productions and has won several awards for his contributions.
26
Louis Le Prince
(Former inventor of an early motion-picture camera, possibly the first person to shoot a moving picture sequence using a single lens camera)
Birthdate: August 28, 1841
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Metz, France
Died: September 16, 1890
Louis Le Prince was a French inventor and artist. He is credited with inventing an early motion-picture camera and is often referred to as the Father of Cinematography. However, Louis Le Prince's work failed to influence the commercial development of motion picture because of the secrecy surrounding his invention.
27
Lynne Ramsay
(Scottish Film Director, Producer, Writer, and Cinematographer)
Birthdate: December 5, 1969
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Glasgow
Lynne Ramsay is a Scottish film director, producer, writer, and cinematographer. She is best known for directing films like Ratcatcher, We Need to Talk About Kevin, and You Were Never Really Here. A critically-acclaimed filmmaker, Lynne Ramsay has won several important awards, including British Academy Film Awards and Critics Awards.
28
Jeremy Saulnier
(Film Director, Cinematographer and Screenwriter)
Birthdate: June 10, 1976
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Alexandria, Virginia, United States
Jeremy Saulnier is an American cinematographer, film director, and screenwriter. He is credited with writing and directing critically acclaimed films, such as Blue Ruin which holds an impressive 96% on Rotten Tomatoes. In 2015, Jeremy Saulnier was honored at the Film Independent Spirit Awards with a John Cassavetes Award nomination.
29
Thomas Markle
(Lighting designer, Cinematographer)
Birthdate: July 18, 1944
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Newport, Pennsylvania, United States
30
Patrick McDermott
(Cameraman)
Birthdate: September 18, 1957
Sun Sign: Virgo
Patrick McDermott was an American cameraman who has been missing since June 30, 2005. McDermott, who was in an on-again, off-again relationship with Olivia Newton-John for nine years, disappeared from a fishing charter boat off the coast of Los Angeles. His disappearance has given rise to many theories, including McDermott faking his own death to start life afresh in Mexico.
31
Robert Frank
(Photographer)
Birthdate: November 9, 1924
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Zürich, Switzerland
Died: September 9, 2019
Robert Frank was a Swiss documentary filmmaker and photographer best remembered for his photographic book The Americans which earned him comparisons with the likes of Tocqueville. An acclaimed photographer, Robert Frank won many prestigious awards, such as Hasselblad Foundation International Award in Photography in 1996 and the Edward MacDowell Medal in 2002.
32
Peter Greenaway
(Welsh Artist, Film Director, and Screenwriter)
Birthdate: April 5, 1942
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Newport
Peter Greenaway is a Welsh artist, film director, and screenwriter. He is best known for making films with common traits, such as the contrasts of nature and architecture, costume and nudity, sexual pleasure and painful death, and furniture and people. Some of his best-known films include The Pillow Book and Goltzius and the Pelican Company.
33
Maurice Krafft
(French Volcanologist and Filmmaker)
Birthdate: March 25, 1946
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Alsace, French
Died: June 3, 1991
34
Conrad Hall
(Considered Amongst History's Most Influential Cinematographers)
Birthdate: June 21, 1926
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Pape'ete, French Polynesia
Died: January 4, 2003
Conrad Hall was a cinematographer best remembered for working in films, such as In Cold Blood, American Beauty, and Cool Hand Luke. In 2003, he was named among the most influential cinematographers in history. One of the most celebrated and decorated cinematographers, Conrad Hall won many prestigious awards including three Academy Awards and three British Academy Film Awards.
Birthdate: December 29, 1984
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: New York, New York, United States
Sean Stone is an actor, filmmaker, and TV host. He gained massive popularity for hosting the RT America show Watching the Hawks with Tyrel Ventura and Tabetha Wallace. The son of an actor father, he was introduced to show business as a child. After establishing himself as an actor, he made his directorial debut with the film Graystone.
36
Mike Figgis
(English Film Director, Composer, and Screenwriter)
Birthdate: February 28, 1948
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Carlisle
Mike Figgis is an English film director, composer, and screenwriter. He achieved popularity after the release of the 1995 American drama film Leaving Las Vegas, for which he received two nominations at the Academy Awards. Mike Figgis is credited with founding an independent filmmakers’ online community called Shooting People.
37
Robert Richardson
(film producer, cinematographer, journalist, writer)
Birthdate: August 27, 1955
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Hyannis
Robert Richardson is a prominent cinematographer who has won the Academy Award for Best Cinematography three times. He often collaborates with the directors Errol Morris, Oliver Stone, Quentin Tarantino, and Martin Scorsese. He attended the AFI Conservatory before beginning his career as a camera operator. Over the years, he evolved into one of the most successful cinematographers in Hollywood.
38
Jan de Bont
(Film director, Cinematographer)
Birthdate: October 22, 1943
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Eindhoven, Netherlands
39
Christopher Doyle
(Cinematographer)
Birthdate: May 2, 1952
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Sydney, Australia
40
Santosh Sivan
(Cinematographer)
Birthdate: February 8, 1964
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Thiruvananthapuram, India
41
Nuri Bilge Ceylan
(Film director, Photographer, Screenwriter, Cinematographer, Film producer, Film editor)
Birthdate: January 26, 1959
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Istanbul
42
John Schwartzman
(Cinematographer)
Birthdate: October 18, 1960
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Los Angeles
John Schwartzman is a cinematographer best known for his work in the movies Jurassic World and The Amazing Spider-Man. He studied at the University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts and began his career in the 1980s. He has been nominated for an Academy Award. Actors/musicians Jason and Robert Schwartzman are his siblings.
43
Jesús Franco
(Filmmaker Known for Low-Budget Exploitation and B-Movies)
Birthdate: May 12, 1930
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Málaga, Spain
Died: April 2, 2013
Spanish director, screenwriter, producer, actor, cinematographer, editor, musician and composer Jesús Franco Manera, considered as a cult director by both critics and public, is most reputed as a director of exploitation and B-movies. His expansive career spanning over five decades saw him writing, directing, producing and acting in around 173 feature films.
44
Mario Bava
(Film director, Screenwriter, Cinematographer, Writer, Responsible for special effects)
Birthdate: July 31, 1914
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Sanremo
Died: April 25, 1980
45
Chris Marker
(Film producer, Film critic, Film director, Photographer, Artist, Screenwriter, Film editor, Television producer, Multimedia artist, Journalist, Cinematographer, Teacher, Poet)
Birthdate: July 29, 1921
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Neuilly-sur-Seine
Died: July 29, 2012
Chris Marker was a French photographer, writer, multimedia artist, film director, and film essayist. He is considered an exponent of the Left Bank subgroup of the French New Wave that came into existence in the 1950s and 1960s. After starting his career by working with members of the Left Bank Film Movement, Marker went on to help popularize the genre.
46
Balu Mahendra
(Cinematographer, director, screenwriter and film editor who worked predominantly in Tamil cinema)
Birthdate: May 19, 1939
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Batticaloa, Sri Lanka
Died: February 13, 2014
47
Vilmos Zsigmond
(Cinematographer)
Birthdate: June 16, 1930
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Szeged
Died: January 1, 2016
Best known for his Academy Award-winning work in Close Encounters of the Third Kind, cinematographer Vilmos Zsigmond was regarded as a prominent pillar of the American New Wave movement. He was also known for his signature use of colors, natural light, and the technique of flashing or pre-fogging.
48
Greig Fraser
(Cinematographer)
Birthdate: October 3, 1975
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Melbourne, Australia
49
Wally Pfister
(Film director, Cinematographer)
Birthdate: July 8, 1961
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Chicago
Wally Pfister is a cinematographer and director. He started working as a production assistant after high school and eventually became a successful cinematographer. He often collaborates with acclaimed filmmaker Christopher Nolan and the two men have worked together in films like Memento and Inception. He won an Academy Award for Best Cinematography for Inception.
50
Bill Tilghman
(Politician)
Birthdate: July 4, 1854
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Fort Dodge
Died: November 1, 1924
Bill Tilghman was a gunfighter, career lawman, and politician in Kansas and Oklahoma. He was active during the late 19th century and became a legendary figure after he single-handedly captured the notorious bandit Bill Doolin and killed many members of his gang. He became a politician later in his career and served as an Oklahoma state senator.