Owen Roizman (born September 22, 1936) is an American

cinematographer The cinematographer or director of photography (sometimes shortened to DP or DOP) is the person responsible for the photographing or recording of a film, television production, music video or other live action piece. The cinematographer is the ch ...

. He has received five

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

nominations for Best Cinematography, for the films '' The French Connection'' (1971), ''

The Exorcist ''The Exorcist'' is a 1973 American supernatural horror film directed by William Friedkin and written for the screen by William Peter Blatty, based on his 1971 novel of the same name. It stars Ellen Burstyn, Max von Sydow, Lee J. Cobb, Kitty W ...

'' (1973), ''

Network Network, networking and networked may refer to: Science and technology * Network theory, the study of graphs as a representation of relations between discrete objects * Network science, an academic field that studies complex networks Mathematics ...

'' (1976), ''

Tootsie ''Tootsie'' is a 1982 American satirical romantic comedy-drama film directed by Sydney Pollack and starring Dustin Hoffman. Its supporting cast includes Pollack, Jessica Lange, Teri Garr, Dabney Coleman, Bill Murray, Charles Durning, George Ga ...

'' (1982), and ''

Wyatt Earp Wyatt Berry Stapp Earp (March 19, 1848 – January 13, 1929) was an American lawman and gambler in the American West, including Dodge City, Deadwood, and Tombstone. Earp took part in the famous gunfight at the O.K. Corral, during which law ...

'' (1994). He served on the Board of Governors of the

Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS, often pronounced ; also known as simply the Academy or the Motion Picture Academy) is a professional honorary organization with the stated goal of advancing the arts and sciences of motio ...

and was president of the

American Society of Cinematographers The American Society of Cinematographers (ASC), founded in Hollywood in 1919, is a cultural, educational, and professional organization that is neither a labor union nor a guild. The society was organized to advance the science and art of cinem ...

. His first feature film was ''Stop'' (1970), and several other notable credits include '' The Heartbreak Kid'' (1972), ''

Three Days of the Condor ''Three Days of the Condor'' is a 1975 American political thriller film directed by Sydney Pollack and starring Robert Redford, Faye Dunaway, Cliff Robertson, and Max von Sydow. The screenplay by Lorenzo Semple Jr. and David Rayfiel was based on ...

'' (1975), ''

Absence of Malice ''Absence of Malice'' is a 1981 American drama neo noir thriller film directed by Sydney Pollack and starring Paul Newman, Sally Field, Wilford Brimley, Melinda Dillon and Bob Balaban. The title refers to one of the defenses against libel def ...

'' (1981), '' True Confessions'' (1981), ''

The Addams Family ''The Addams Family'' is a fictional family created by American cartoonist Charles Addams. They originally appeared in a series of 150 unrelated single-panel cartoons, about half of which were originally published in ''The New Yorker'' over a ...

'' (1991), and ''

Grand Canyon The Grand Canyon (, yuf-x-yav, Wi:kaʼi:la, , Southern Paiute language: Paxa’uipi, ) is a steep-sided canyon carved by the Colorado River in Arizona, United States. The Grand Canyon is long, up to wide and attains a depth of over a m ...

'' (1991). He is known for his "gritty" style and received an

Academy Honorary Award The Academy Honorary Award – instituted in 1950 for the 23rd Academy Awards (previously called the Special Award, which was first presented at the 1st Academy Awards in 1929) – is given annually by the Board of Governors of the Academy of Moti ...

in 2017.

Early life

Roizman was raised in

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

, and as a child, he wanted to be a

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...

player, physicist, or mathematician. He had a tryout with the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Amer ...

but contracted

polio Poliomyelitis, commonly shortened to polio, is an infectious disease caused by the poliovirus. Approximately 70% of cases are asymptomatic; mild symptoms which can occur include sore throat and fever; in a proportion of cases more severe s ...

as a teenager. His father, Sol, was a cameraman for

Movietone News Movietone News is a newsreel that ran from 1928 to 1963 in the United States. Under the name British Movietone News, it also ran in the United Kingdom from 1929 to 1986, in France also produced by Fox-Europa, in Australia and New Zealand until 197 ...

, and upon hearing about the film industry's possible wages, Roizman decided, "I'm going for the money!" He began working during summer breaks at a camera rental store in New York City and later was an assistant to cinematographer

Gerald Hirschfeld Gerald Hirschfeld, A.S.C. (25 April 1921 – 13 February 2017) was an American cinematographer. Biography Hirschfeld served at the Army Signal Corps Photographic Center during World War II as an assistant and operator for established Hollyw ...

at MPO Videotronics.

Career

After creating several television commercials, Roizman made his feature film debut in 1970 with ''Stop''. His second film,

William Friedkin William "Billy" Friedkin (born August 29, 1935)Biskind, p. 200. is an American film and television director, producer and screenwriter closely identified with the "New Hollywood" movement of the 1970s. Beginning his career in documentaries in t ...

's '' The French Connection'' (1971), earned him an

nomination for Best Cinematography. The film set the style for many of his future films, with "gritty New York street photography" and

available light In photography and cinematography, available light (also called ambient light or practical light) refers to any ''available'' source of light that is not explicitly supplied by the photographer for the purpose of taking pictures. The term usu ...

. Throughout the 1970s, he also worked on '' Play It Again, Sam'' (1972), '' The Heartbreak Kid'' (1972), ''

'' (1973), ''

'' (1975), and ''

'' (1976), among others, garnering Academy Award nominations for Best Cinematography for ''The Exorcist'' and ''Network''. Roizman received two more Academy Award nominations, for ''

'' (1994) and ''

'' (1982). His final film was

Lawrence Kasdan Lawrence Edward Kasdan (born January 14, 1949) is an American filmmaker. He is the co-writer of the ''Star Wars'' films ''The Empire Strikes Back'' (1980), ''Return of the Jedi'' (1983), ''The Force Awakens'' (2015), and ''Solo: A Star Wars Stor ...

's ''

French Kiss A French kiss, also known as cataglottism or a tongue kiss, is an amorous kiss in which the participants' tongues extend to touch each other's lips or tongue. A kiss with the tongue stimulates the partner's lips, tongue and mouth, which are sens ...

'' (1995). He was a member of the Board of Governors of the

from 2002 to 2011, representing the Cinematographers Branch, and was a member of the

(ASC). Roizman was ASC president from 1997 to 1998 and served on its board. He received an

at the 9th

Governors Awards The Governors Awards presentation is an annual award ceremony hosted by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), at the Grand Ballroom of the Hollywood and Highland Center, in the Hollywood district of Los Angeles, California. Thre ...

ceremony in 2017. Roizman is known for collaborating with film directors

Sydney Pollack Sydney Irwin Pollack (July 1, 1934 – May 26, 2008) was an American film director, producer and actor. Pollack directed more than 20 films and 10 television shows, acted in over 30 movies or shows and produced over 44 films. For his film ''Out ...

, and

Filmography

{, class="wikitable plainrowheaders" ! Year ! Title ! Director ! Notes , - , 1970 , ''Stop'' , {{sortname , Bill Gunn , , - , rowspan="2" , 1971 , ''{{sortname, The, French Connection, The French Connection (film)'' , William Friedkin , Nominated –

Academy Award for Best Cinematography The Academy Award for Best Cinematography is an Academy Award awarded each year to a cinematographer for work on one particular motion picture. History In its first film season, 1927–28, this award (like others such as the acting awards) ...

, - , ''{{sortname, The, Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight, The Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight (film)'' , {{sortname, James, Goldstone , , - , rowspan="3" , 1972 , '' Play It Again, Sam'' , {{sortname, Herbert, Ross , , - , ''{{sortname, The, Heartbreak Kid, The Heartbreak Kid (1972 film)'' , {{sortname, Elaine, May , , - , ''

Liza with a Z ''Liza with a "Z"'' is a 1972 concert film made for television, starring Liza Minnelli, produced by Fred Ebb and Bob Fosse. Fosse also directed and choreographed the concert, and Ebb wrote and arranged the music with his song-writing partner Joh ...

'' , {{sortname, Bob, Fosse , Television film
Nominated –

Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Cinematography for a Limited Series or Movie The Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Cinematography for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie is an annual award presented as part of the Primetime Emmy Awards. Winners and nominations 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s 2020s Programs ...

, - , 1973 , ''The Exorcist'' , {{sortname, William, Friedkin , Nominated –

, - , 1974 , ''{{sortname, The, Taking of Pelham One Two Three, The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974 film)'' , {{sortname, Joseph, Sargent , , - , rowspan="2" , 1975 , ''{{sortname, The, Stepford Wives, The Stepford Wives (1975 film)'' , {{sortname, Bryan, Forbes , , - , ''

'' , Sydney Pollack , , - , rowspan="3" , 1976 , ''{{sortname, The, Return of a Man Called Horse'' , {{sortname, Irvin, Kershner , , - , ''

Independence Independence is a condition of a person, nation, country, or state in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the statu ...

'' , {{sortname, John, Huston , , - , ''

'' , {{sortname, Sidney, Lumet , Nominated –

, - , rowspan="2" , 1978 , ''

Straight Time ''Straight Time'' is a 1978 American crime drama neo-noir film directed by Ulu Grosbard and starring Dustin Hoffman, Theresa Russell, Gary Busey, Harry Dean Stanton, M. Emmet Walsh, and Kathy Bates. Its plot follows a lifelong thief in Los Angel ...

'' , {{sortname, Ulu, Grosbard , , - , '' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band'' , {{sortname, Michael, Schultz , , - , rowspan="2", 1979 , ''The Rose'' , {{sortname, Mark, Rydell , Additional photography;
Photographed by

Vilmos Zsigmond Vilmos Zsigmond ASC (; June 16, 1930 – January 1, 2016) was a Hungarian-American cinematographer. His work in cinematography helped shape the look of American movies in the 1970s, making him one of the leading figures in the American New Wave ...

, - , ''{{sortname, The, Electric Horseman'' , Sydney Pollack , , - , 1980 , ''{{sortname, The, Black Marble'' , {{sortname, Harold, Becker , , - , rowspan="3" , 1981 , '' True Confessions'' , Ulu Grosbard , , - , ''

'' , Sydney Pollack , , - , '' Taps'' , Harold Becker , , - , 1982 , ''

'' , Sydney Pollack , Nominated –

, - , 1985 , ''

Vision Quest A vision quest is a rite of passage in some Native American cultures. It is usually only undertaken by young males entering adulthood. Individual Indigenous cultures have their own names for their rites of passage. "Vision quest" is an English- ...

'' , Harold Becker , , - , rowspan="2" , 1990 , ''

I Love You to Death ''I Love You to Death'' is a 1990 American black comedy film directed by Lawrence Kasdan and starring an ensemble cast featuring Kevin Kline, Tracey Ullman, Joan Plowright, River Phoenix, William Hurt, and Keanu Reeves. The screenplay by J ...

'' , {{sortname, Lawrence, Kasdan , , - , ''

Havana Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.

'' , Sydney Pollack , , - , rowspan="2" , 1991 , ''{{sortname, The, Addams Family, The Addams Family (1991 film)'' , {{sortname, Barry, Sonnenfeld , , - , ''

'' , rowspan="3" , Lawrence Kasdan , , - , 1994 , ''

'' , Nominated – A.S.C. Award for Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography
Nominated –

, - , 1995 , ''

'' , , -

Other awards

{, class="wikitable" , - !Year !Award !Category !Result , - , 1997 , American Society of Cinematographers , Lifetime Achievement Award , {{won , - , 2000 ,

Palm Springs International Film Festival Palm Springs International Film Festival (sometimes stylized shortly as PSIFF) is a film festival held in Palm Springs, California. Originally promoted by Mayor Sonny Bono and then sponsored by Nortel,here for Table of Contents it started in 1989 ...

, Career Achievement Award , {{won , - , 2001 , Cameriage , Lifetime Achievement Award , {{won , - , 2011 , Ojai Film Festival , Lifetime Achievement Award (shared with

Mitzi Gaynor Mitzi Gaynor (born Francesca Marlene de Czanyi von Gerber; September 4, 1931) is an American actress, singer, and dancer. Her notable films include '' We're Not Married!'' (1952), '' There's No Business Like Show Business'' (1954), '' The Birds ...

) , {{won , -

References

{{Reflist

External links

* {{IMDb name, 0005845 {{Academy Honorary Award, state=collapsed {{Authority control {{DEFAULTSORT:Roizman, Owen 1936 births Academy Honorary Award recipients American cinematographers Living people People from Brooklyn