Janusz Zygmunt Kamiński (; born June 27, 1959) is a Polish

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 ...

and director. He established a partnership with

Steven Spielberg Steven Allan Spielberg ( ; born December 18, 1946) is an American filmmaker. A major figure of the New Hollywood era and pioneer of the modern blockbuster, Spielberg is widely regarded as one of the greatest film directors of all time and is ...

, working as a cinematographer of all of his films since 1993, winning one Academy Award for Best Cinematography for his work on his

holocaust The Holocaust (), known in Hebrew language, Hebrew as the (), was the genocide of History of the Jews in Europe, European Jews during World War II. From 1941 to 1945, Nazi Germany and Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy ...

drama '' Schindler's List'', and another one for the

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

epic ''

Saving Private Ryan ''Saving Private Ryan'' is a 1998 American epic war film directed by Steven Spielberg and written by Robert Rodat. Set in 1944 in Normandy, France, during World War II, it follows a group of soldiers, led by Captain John Miller ( Tom Hanks) ...

''. Aside from a total of seven Academy Award nominations, he has also received five nominations from the

BAFTA Awards The British Academy Film Awards, more commonly known as the BAFTAs or BAFTA Awards, is an annual film award show hosted by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) to honour the best Cinema of the United Kingdom, British and Worl ...

, and six from the American Society of Cinematographers. In addition to his collaborations with Spielberg, he has also worked with Cameron Crowe, James L. Brooks, Julian Schnabel and John Krasinski. Kamiński has also worked in the field of directing, first with the horror film ''Lost Souls'' (2000), and the NBC series ''

The Event ''The Event'' (stylized as THE EVƎNT) is an American television series containing elements of science fiction, Action fiction, action/adventure and political allegory. It was created by Nick Wauters and aired on NBC from September 20, 2010, to ...

'' (2011) and WE TV series ''The Divide'' (2014). In 2019, the American Society of Cinematographers included ''Schindler's List'' and ''Saving Private Ryan'', both shot by Kamiński, on the list of the best-photographed films of the 20th century.

Early life and education

Kamiński was born in Ziębice, Poland, the son of mother, Jadwiga Celner, and father, Marian Kamiński. In 1981, he emigrated to the United States at the age of 21 after

Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

Jaruzelski imposed

martial law Martial law is the replacement of civilian government by military rule and the suspension of civilian legal processes for military powers. Martial law can continue for a specified amount of time, or indefinitely, and standard civil liberties ...

. He attended Columbia College in Chicago from 1982 to 1987, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree, taking up filmmaking as a profession before attending to the AFI Conservatory, where he graduated with a

Master of Fine Arts A Master of Fine Arts (MFA or M.F.A.) is a terminal degree in fine arts, including visual arts, creative writing, graphic design, photography, filmmaking, dance, theatre, other performing arts and in some cases, theatre management or arts admi ...

degree. He would then take his first opportunity filming and helping direct the music video for Club of Rome’s smash hit ‘Why Can't I Dance With Phil Donahue’.

Career

He worked under cinematographer Phedon Papamichael, first as a gaffer, and eventually as

second unit A second unit is a discrete team of filmmakers tasked with filming shots or sequences of a production, separate from the main or "first" unit. The second unit will often shoot simultaneously with the other unit or units, allowing the filming s ...

director of photography. He shot numerous B-movies for directors

Roger Corman Roger William Corman (April 5, 1926 – May 9, 2024) was an American film director, producer, and actor. Known under various monikers such as "The Pope of Pop Cinema", "The Spiritual Godfather of the New Hollywood", and "The King of Cult", he w ...

and

Katt Shea Kathleen Ann Shea (born October 9, 1959) is an American actress, film director, and acting teacher. She is best known for directing the erotic thriller ''Poison Ivy (1992 film), Poison Ivy'', which was nominated for the 1992 Sundance Grand Jury P ...

, as well as the romantic musical comedy '' Cool as Ice'', starring Vanilla Ice. Kamiński was first discovered by

in 1991. After seeing the television film ''

Wildflower A wildflower (or wild flower) is a flower that grows in the wild, rather than being intentionally seeded or planted. The term implies that the plant is neither a hybrid nor a selected cultivar that is any different from the native plant, eve ...

'', Spielberg hired Kamiński to shoot '' Class of '61'', a television film in which Spielberg served as producer. He won twice the Academy Award for Best Cinematography in the 1990s, for '' Schindler's List'' and ''

''. He has been nominated five additional times for '' Amistad'', '' The Diving Bell and the Butterfly'', '' War Horse'', '' Lincoln'', and ''

West Side Story ''West Side Story'' is a Musical theatre, musical conceived by Jerome Robbins with music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and a Book (musical theatre), book by Arthur Laurents. Inspired by William Shakespeare's play ''Romeo an ...

''. In 2010, he was awarded the Franklin J. Schaffner Alumni Medal by the AFI Conservatory. Kamiński became a member of the American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) in 1994, but resigned in 2006. In 2018 Kamiński worried that professional cinematographers were digitally losing control of their own images. In 2010 Kamiński abandoned the Chris Curling female fighter pilot

project ''The Night Witch'', and in 2012 Kamiński discussed directing a Los Angeles-based version of the drama ''"XXXXXX"'' but nothing became of it.

Personal life

Kamiński was married to actress Holly Hunter from 1995 until 2001. In 2004, he married ABC reporter Rebecca Rankin; they divorced in 2010.

Filmography

Director

Short film * ''Making a Scene'' (2013) Feature film * '' Lost Souls'' (2000) * ''Hania'' (2007) * ''American Dream'' (2021) Television

Cinematographer

Short film Feature film TV movies TV series

Awards and nominations

References

External links

*
Janusz Kamiński
at culture.pl {{DEFAULTSORT:Kaminski, Janusz 1959 births AFI Conservatory alumni Best Cinematographer Academy Award winners Best Cinematography BAFTA Award winners Columbia College Chicago alumni German-language film directors Independent Spirit Award winners Living people People from Ziębice Polish cinematographers Polish emigrants to the United States Polish film directors