Samuel Leavitt, A.S.C (February 6, 1904 March 21, 1984), was an American cinematographer who was nominated for three

Academy Awards 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 ...

, winning one for ''

The Defiant Ones ''The Defiant Ones'' is a 1958 American Adventure film, adventure Drama film, drama film which tells the story of two escaped prisoners, one white and one black, who are shackled together and who must co-operate in order to survive. It stars Ton ...

'' (1958). Leavitt began his career as an assistant camera operator working on 1930s films. Leavitt was a camera operator on films including ''

Rancho Notorious ''Rancho Notorious'' is a 1952 American Western film directed by Fritz Lang and starring Marlene Dietrich as the matron of a criminal hideout called ''Chuck-a-Luck''. Arthur Kennedy and Mel Ferrer play rivals for her attention in this tale of f ...

'' (1952) and on TV's ''

I Love Lucy ''I Love Lucy'' is an American television sitcom that originally aired on CBS from October 15, 1951, to May 6, 1957, with a total of 180 half-hour episodes, spanning six seasons. The show starred Lucille Ball, her husband, Desi Arnaz, along with ...

'' in the early 1950s before becoming a director of photography in films. Leavitt was nominated for Academy Awards for ''

Exodus Exodus or the Exodus may refer to: Religion * Book of Exodus, second book of the Hebrew Torah and the Christian Bible * The Exodus, the biblical story of the migration of the ancient Israelites from Egypt into Canaan Historical events * Ex ...

'' (Best Cinematography Color) (1960)and ''

Anatomy of a Murder ''Anatomy of a Murder'' is a 1959 American courtroom drama and crime film produced and directed by Otto Preminger. The screenplay by Wendell Mayes was based on the 1958 novel of the same name written by Michigan Supreme Court Justice John D. Vo ...

'' (1959) (Best Cinematography Black and White) in the two years following his Oscar win for ''The Defiant Ones''.IMDB awards
/ref> Leavitt was born in New York City, New York and died in Woodland Hills, California.

Filmography

Feature films * '' The Thief'' (1952) * ''

China Venture ''China Venture'' is a 1953 American adventure war film directed by Don Siegel. The plot concerns an American patrol sent into South China during World War II to rescue an important prisoner held by Chinese guerrillas. Plot Cast *Edmond O'Bri ...

'' (1953) * ''

Mission Over Korea ''Mission Over Korea'' is a 1953 American war film released by Columbia Pictures, directed by Fred F. Sears, from a story by former war correspondent Richard Tregaskis, author of '' Guadalcanal Diary''. The film stars John Hodiak, John Derek, ...

'' (1953) * '' A Star Is Born'' (1954) * ''

Carmen Jones ''Carmen Jones'' is a 1943 Broadway musical with music by Georges Bizet (orchestrated for Broadway by Robert Russell Bennett) and lyrics and book by Oscar Hammerstein II which was performed at The Broadway Theatre. Conceptually, it is Bizet's op ...

'' (1954) * ''

Southwest Passage ''Southwest Passage'' is a 1954 American Pathécolor Western film directed by Ray Nazarro and starring Joanne Dru, Rod Cameron and John Ireland, who are determined to make a unique trek across the west, using camels as his beasts of burden. T ...

'' (1954) * ''

An Annapolis Story ''An Annapolis Story'' (alternative titles: ''The Blue and Gold'' and ''Navy Air Patrol'') is a 1955 American drama film directed by Don Siegel and starring John Derek, Diana Lynn and Kevin McCarthy. The film was a product of the newly formed A ...

'' (1955) * ''

The Court-Martial of Billy Mitchell ''The Court-Martial of Billy Mitchell'' is a 1955 American CinemaScope war film directed by Otto Preminger, and starring Gary Cooper and co-starring Charles Bickford, Ralph Bellamy, Rod Steiger, and Elizabeth Montgomery in her film debut. The fil ...

'' (1955) * ''

The Man with the Golden Arm ''The Man with the Golden Arm'' is a 1955 American drama film with elements of film noir directed by Otto Preminger, based on the novel of the same name by Nelson Algren. Starring Frank Sinatra, Eleanor Parker, Kim Novak, Arnold Stang and Darre ...

'' (1955) * ''

The Bold and the Brave ''The Bold and the Brave'' is a 1956 American World War II film written by Robert Lewin in his first screenplay based on some of his Italian Campaign experiences. It was directed by Lewis R. Foster and stars Wendell Corey, Mickey Rooney, and ...

'' (1956) * ''

Crime in the Streets ''Crime in the Streets'' is a 1956 film about juvenile delinquency, directed by Don Siegel and based on a television play written by Reginald Rose. The play first appeared on the Elgin Hour and was directed by Sidney Lumet. The film, starring Ja ...

'' (1956) * ''

Hot Rod Girl ''Hot Rod Girl'' is an independent, black-and-white 1956 teen-oriented action film produced by Norman T. Herman, directed by Leslie H. Martinson and released by American International Pictures as a double feature with '' Girls in Prison''. ''Hot R ...

'' (1956) * '' The Wild Party'' (1956) * '' The Careless Years'' (1957) * ''

Eighteen and Anxious ''Eighteen and Anxious'' is a 1957 American drama film directed by Joe Parker and written by Katherine Eunson and Dale Eunson. The film stars William Campbell, Martha Scott, Jackie Loughery, Jim Backus, Ron Hagerthy, and Jackie Coogan. The film ...

'' (1957) * ''

Hell Ship Mutiny ''Hell Ship Mutiny'' is a 1957 American South Seas (genre), South Seas adventure film directed by Lee Sholem and Elmo Williams starring Jon Hall (actor), Jon Hall who also produced and narrated the film. It is a compilation of a 1955 unsold tel ...

'' (1957) * ''

Time Limit A time limit or deadline is a narrow field of time, or a particular point in time, by which an objective or task must be accomplished. Once that time has passed, the item may be considered overdue (e.g., for work projects or school assignments). In ...

'' (1957) * ''

'' (1958) * ''

The Fearmakers ''The Fearmakers'' is a 1958 American film noir crime film directed by Jacques Tourneur and starring Dana Andrews. The screenplay is based on the 1945 novel of the same name by Darwin Teilhet. The film centers on seemingly nonpartisan political ...

'' (1958) * ''

'' (1959) * ''

The Crimson Kimono ''The Crimson Kimono'' is a 1959 film noir directed by Samuel Fuller. The film stars James Shigeta, Glenn Corbett and Victoria Shaw. It featured several ahead-of-its-time ideas about race and society's perception of race, a thematic and stylisti ...

'' (1959) * ''

Five Gates to Hell ''Five Gates to Hell'' is a 1959 American adventure film written and directed by James Clavell in CinemaScope. The film stars Dolores Michaels, Patricia Owens, Neville Brand, Ken Scott, Nobu McCarthy and Benson Fong. It was Clavell's direct ...

'' (1959) * '' Pork Chop Hill'' (1959) * ''

'' (1960) * ''

Seven Thieves ''Seven Thieves'' is a 1960 American film noir heist crime drama film shot in CinemaScope. It stars Edward G. Robinson, Rod Steiger, Joan Collins and Eli Wallach. Directed by Henry Hathaway and produced by Sydney Boehm, it was adapted for th ...

'' (1960) * ''

The Right Approach ''The Right Approach'' is a 1961 CinemaScope drama film directed by David Butler and starring Juliet Prowse, Frankie Vaughan (in his final film role) and Martha Hyer. It was known as ''The Live Wire''. Plot Army buddies return home to Pasade ...

'' (1961) * ''

Advise & Consent ''Advise & Consent'' is a 1962 American political drama film based on the Pulitzer Prize winning novel ''Advise and Consent'' by Allen Drury, published in 1959. The film was adapted for the screen by Wendell Mayes and was directed by Otto ...

'' (1962) * '' Cape Fear'' (1962) * '' Diamond Head'' (1963) * ''

Shock Treatment ''Shock Treatment'' is a 1981 American musical comedy film directed by Jim Sharman, and co-written by Sharman and Richard O'Brien. It is a follow-up to the 1975 film ''The Rocky Horror Picture Show''. While not an outright sequel, the film doe ...

'' (1964) * '' Brainstorm'' (1965) * ''

Dr. Goldfoot and the Bikini Machine ''Dr. Goldfoot and the Bikini Machine'' is a 1965 American International Pictures comedy film, made in Pathécolor, directed by Norman Taurog. It stars Vincent Price, Frankie Avalon, Dwayne Hickman, Susan Hart and Jack Mullaney, and features F ...

'' (1965) * ''

Major Dundee ''Major Dundee'' is a 1965 American Western film directed by Sam Peckinpah and starring Charlton Heston, Richard Harris, Jim Hutton, and James Coburn. Written by Harry Julian Fink, the film is about a Union cavalry officer who leads a contentiou ...

'' (1965) * ''

My Blood Runs Cold ''My Blood Runs Cold'' is a 1965 American neo noir dark thriller film starring Troy Donahue, Joey Heatherton and Barry Sullivan. It was directed by William Conrad. It was the second of three thrillers Conrad made for Warner Bros. A young woman fa ...

'' (1965) * '' Two on a Guillotine'' (1965) * '' An American Dream'' (1966) * ''

I Deal in Danger ''I Deal in Danger'' is a 1966 American DeLuxe Color spy film compiled from the first four episodes of a television series, ''Blue Light (TV series), Blue Light'', which aired on American Broadcasting Company, ABC-TV in early 1966. Directed by ...

'' (1966) * '' Murderers' Row'' (1966) * ''

Guess Who's Coming to Dinner ''Guess Who's Coming to Dinner'' is a 1967 American romantic comedy-drama film produced and directed by Stanley Kramer, and written by William Rose. It stars Spencer Tracy (in his final role), Sidney Poitier, and Katharine Hepburn, and featur ...

'' (1967) * ''

Where Angels Go, Trouble Follows ''Where Angels Go, Trouble Follows'' is a 1968 American comedy film directed by James Neilson and starring Rosalind Russell, Stella Stevens and Binnie Barnes. Written by Blanche Hanalis, the film is based on a story by Jane Trahey about an old- ...

'' (1968) * '' The Wrecking Crew'' (1968) * ''

The Desperados ''The Desperados'' is a 1969 American Western film directed by Henry Levin and starring Vince Edwards and Jack Palance. Plot A ruthless preacher, Parson Josiah Galt, leads a band of Southern marauders during the Civil War that includes his s ...

'' (1969) * ''

The Man in the Glass Booth ''The Man in the Glass Booth'' is a 1975 American drama film directed by Arthur Hiller. The film was produced and released as part of the American Film Theatre, which adapted theatrical works for a subscription cinema series. The screenplay was ...

'' (1975) Short films * '' Goof on the Roof'' (1953) Television films * ''

Evil Roy Slade ''Evil Roy Slade'' is a 1972 American television movie, made-for-television Western (genre), Western comedy film about the "meanest villain in the American Old West, West". It was directed by Jerry Paris and co-produced and co-written by Garry ...

'' (1972) * '' The Longest Night'' (1972) * ''

The Screaming Woman ''The Screaming Woman'' is a 1972 American made-for-television horror-thriller film starring Olivia de Havilland and directed by Jack Smight. It is loosely based on a short story by Ray Bradbury (which in turn was based on his 1948 radio play for ...

'' (1972)

References

External links

* American cinematographers Best Cinematographer Academy Award winners 1904 births 1984 deaths {{US-cinematographer-stub