Franz Planer-Gregory Peck in Roman Holiday

Franz Planer, A.S.C. (born as František Plánička; 29 March 1894 – 10 January 1963) was a

Czech Czech may refer to: * Anything from or related to the Czech Republic, a country in Europe ** Czech language ** Czechs, the people of the area ** Czech culture ** Czech cuisine * One of three mythical brothers, Lech, Czech, and Rus *Czech (surnam ...

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

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

, later naturalized in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

Life

Planer was born as František Plánička on 29 March 1894. He was born in

Karlovy Vary Karlovy Vary (; , formerly also spelled ''Carlsbad'' in English) is a spa town, spa city in the Karlovy Vary Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 49,000 inhabitants. It is located at the confluence of the Ohře and Teplá (river), Teplá ri ...

Bohemia Bohemia ( ; ; ) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. In a narrow, geographic sense, it roughly encompasses the territories of present-day Czechia that fall within the Elbe River's drainage basin, but historic ...

Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe#Before World War I, Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military ...

, but his family came from

Ústí nad Labem Ústí nad Labem (; ) is a city in the Czech Republic. It has about 91,000 inhabitants and is the capital of the Ústí nad Labem Region. It is a major industrial centre and, besides being an active river port, is an important railway junction. ...

. He studied photography in

Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

in the 1910s and started to work there as cinematographer. He then moved to

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

and shot his first film '' Storms in May'' there in 1919, under the pseudonym Franz Planer ( German version of his name). In 1923, he married a

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

woman in Církvice in

Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia ( ; Czech language, Czech and , ''Česko-Slovensko'') was a landlocked country in Central Europe, created in 1918, when it declared its independence from Austria-Hungary. In 1938, after the Munich Agreement, the Sudetenland beca ...

. When the

Nazis came to power The rise to power of Adolf Hitler, dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 to 1945, began in the newly established Weimar Republic in September 1919, when Hitler joined the ''German Workers' Party, Deutsche Arbeiterpartei'' (DAP; German Workers' Par ...

, he decided to move from Germany to

and then to

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-west coast of continental Europe, consisting of the countries England, Scotland, and Wales. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the List of European ...

. Because of his Jewish wife, he left Europe in 1937 and moved to the United States. He decided to change his name again to Frank Planer, this time officially and permanently. He shot over 130 movies in

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood ...

, including '' Letter from an Unknown Woman'' (1948), ''

The Big Country ''The Big Country'' is a 1958 American epic Western film directed by William Wyler, and starring Gregory Peck, Jean Simmons, Carroll Baker, Charlton Heston, and Charles Bickford. The supporting cast features Burl Ives and Chuck Connors. F ...

'' (1958) and '' Breakfast at Tiffany's'' (1961).

Partial filmography

* '' Storms in May'' (1920) * '' The War of the Oxen'' (1920) * '' The Monastery's Hunter'' (1920) * '' The Fountain of Madness'' (1921) * '' Night of the Burglar'' (1921) * '' The Drums of Asia'' (1921) * '' Monna Vanna'' (1922) * '' The Favourite of the Queen'' (1922) * '' Trutzi from Trutzberg'' (1922) * ''

Destiny Destiny, sometimes also called fate (), is a predetermined course of events. It may be conceived as a predetermined future, whether in general or of an individual. Fate Although often used interchangeably, the words ''fate'' and ''destiny'' ...

'' (1925) * '' Love's Finale'' (1925) * '' Darling, Count the Cash'' (1926) * '' Her Husband's Wife'' (1926) * '' Tea Time in the Ackerstrasse'' (1926) * ''

Only a Dancing Girl ''Only a Dancing Girl'' (, ) is a 1926 German-Swedish silent drama film directed by Olof Molander and starring Lil Dagover, Walter Janssen and Harry Halm. It is based on the novel '' Pierre and Jean'' by Guy de Maupassant. The film's sets ...

'' (1926) * '' The Son of Hannibal'' (1926) * '' How Do I Marry the Boss?'' (1927) * '' The Eighteen Year Old'' (1927) * '' Queen of the Boulevards'' (1927) * ''

The Bordello in Rio ''The Bordello in Rio'' or ''The Women's House of Rio'' () is a 1927 silent film, silent drama film directed by Hans Steinhoff and starring Vivian Gibson, Albert Steinrück and Hans Stüwe. It was based on a novel by Norbert Jacques which was re ...

'' (1927) * '' Break-in'' (1927) * '' Volga Volga'' (1928) * ''

The Duty to Remain Silent ''The Duty to Remain Silent'' (German: ''Die Pflicht zu schweigen'') is a 1928 German silent film, silent drama film directed by Carl Wilhelm and starring Marcella Albani, Vivian Gibson, Angelo Ferrari. It was based on a novel by Friedrich Werner ...

'' (1928) * '' Strauss Is Playing Today'' (1928) * '' The Green Alley'' (1928) * '' Women on the Edge'' (1929) * '' The Love of the Brothers Rott'' (1929) * '' Hans in Every Street'' (1930) * '' Retreat on the Rhine'' (1930) * '' Helene Willfüer, Student of Chemistry'' (1930) * '' The Road to Paradise'' (1930) * '' The Son of the White Mountain'' (1930) * '' Calais-Dover'' (1931) * '' The Office Manager'' (1931) * '' No More Love'' (1931) * '' The Prince of Arcadia'' (1932) * ''

The First Right of the Child ''The'' is a grammatical article in English, denoting nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The ...

'' (1932) * '' The Countess of Monte Cristo'' (1932) * '' The Black Hussar'' (1932) * '' Sailor's Song'' (1932) * '' Gently My Songs Entreat'' (1933) * '' Her Highness the Saleswoman'' (1933) * '' A City Upside Down'' (1933) * '' The Hymn of Leuthen'' (1933) * ''

Unfinished Symphony An unfinished symphony is a fragment of a symphony that is left incomplete. The reason as of why and the state of the sketches themselves can vary considerably. The death of the composer is the most common cause for a symphony to be left unfi ...

'' (1934) * '' Maskerade'' (1934) * '' Moscow Nights'' (1934) * '' So Ended a Great Love'' (1934) * '' The Princess's Whim'' (1934) * '' The Typist Gets Married'' (1934) * '' Turn of the Tide'' (1935) * ''

The Divine Spark ''The Divine Spark'' is a 1935 British musical film directed by Carmine Gallone and starring Marta Eggerth, Phillips Holmes, Benita Hume and Donald Calthrop. An Italian-language version ''Casta Diva (1935 film), Casta Diva'' was shot simultaneou ...

'' (1935) * '' Thank You, Madame'' (1936) * '' The Beloved Vagabond'' (1936) * ''

Harvest Harvesting is the process of collecting plants, animals, or fish (as well as fungi) as food, especially the process of gathering mature crops, and "the harvest" also refers to the collected crops. Reaping is the cutting of grain or pulses fo ...

'' (1936) * '' Flowers from Nice'' (1936) * '' Such Great Foolishness'' (1937) * '' Capers'' (1937) * '' The Charm of La Boheme'' (1937) * ''

Premiere A premiere, also spelled première, (from , ) is the debut (first public presentation) of a work, i.e. play, film, dance, musical composition, or even a performer in that work. History Raymond F. Betts attributes the introduction of the ...

'' (1937) * ''

Holiday A holiday is a day or other period of time set aside for festivals or recreation. ''Public holidays'' are set by public authorities and vary by state or region. Religious holidays are set by religious organisations for their members and are often ...

'' (1938) * '' Glamour for Sale'' (1940) * '' The Face Behind the Mask'' (1941) * '' Our Wife'' (1941) * '' Daring Young Man'' (1942) * '' Appointment in Berlin'' (1943) * '' My Kingdom for a Cook'' (1943) * '' Secret Command'' (1944) * '' I Love a Bandleader'' (1945) * '' Her Sister's Secret'' (1946) * '' The Chase'' (1946) * ''

One Touch of Venus ''One Touch of Venus'' is a 1943 musical with music written by Kurt Weill, lyrics by Ogden Nash, and book by S. J. Perelman and Nash, based on the 1885 novella ''The Tinted Venus'' by Thomas Anstey Guthrie, and very loosely spoofing the Pygma ...

'' (1948) * '' Letter from an Unknown Woman'' (1948) * '' Champion'' (1949) * '' Criss Cross'' (1949) * '' Illegal Entry'' (1949) * '' Take One False Step'' (1949) * '' Cyrano de Bergerac'' (1950) * '' The Blue Veil'' (1951) * '' The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T'' (1953) * ''

The Caine Mutiny ''The Caine Mutiny'' is a 1951 Pulitzer Prize–winning novel by Herman Wouk. The novel grew out of Wouk's personal experiences aboard two destroyer-minesweepers in the Pacific Theater in World War II. Among its themes, it deals with the mo ...

'' (1954) * ''

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea ''Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas'' () is a science fiction adventure novel by the French writer Jules Verne. It is considered a classic within its genres and world literature. It was originally serialised from March 1869 to June 1870 i ...

'' (1954) * '' Not as a Stranger'' (1955) * ''

The Pride and the Passion ''The Pride and the Passion'' is a 1957 American Napoleonic-era war film in Technicolor and VistaVision from United Artists, produced and directed by Stanley Kramer, starring Cary Grant, Frank Sinatra, and Sophia Loren. The film co-stars ...

'' (1957) * ''

'' (1958) * ''

King of Kings King of Kings, ''Mepet mepe''; , group="n" was a ruling title employed primarily by monarchs based in the Middle East and the Indian subcontinent. Commonly associated with History of Iran, Iran (historically known as name of Iran, Persia ...

'' (1961) * '' Breakfast at Tiffany's'' (1961) * '' The Children's Hour'' (1961) * '' Something's Got to Give'' (1962, unfinished, restarted a year later as ''

Move Over, Darling ''Move Over, Darling'' is a 1963 American comedy film starring Doris Day, James Garner, and Polly Bergen and directed by Michael Gordon filmed in DeLuxe Color and CinemaScope released by 20th Century Fox. The film is a remake of a 1940 sc ...

'', with a different cast and technical staff)

Academy Award Nominations

*Nominated for Cinematography (Black & White) 1949: '' Champion'' *Nominated for Cinematography (Black & White) 1951: ''

Death of a Salesman ''Death of a Salesman'' is a 1949 stage play written by the American playwright Arthur Miller. The play premiered on Broadway in February 1949, running for 742 performances. It is a two-act tragedy set in late 1940s Brooklyn told through a ...

'' *Nominated for Cinematography (Black & White) 1953: '' Roman Holiday'' *Nominated for Cinematography (Color) 1959: ''

The Nun's Story ''The Nun's Story'' is a 1956 novel by Kathryn Hulme. It was a Book of the Month selection and reached No. 1 on The New York Times Best Seller list, ''The New York Times'' Best Seller list. Premise The lead character of the book, Sister Luk ...

'' *Nominated for Cinematography (Black & White) 1961: '' The Children's Hour''

Life

Partial filmography

Academy Award Nominations

References

See also

Further reading