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 photographing or recording of a film, television production, music video or other live action piece. The cinematographer is the ch ...

and director of film and television. He has established a partnership with

Steven Spielberg Steven Allan Spielberg (; born December 18, 1946) is an American director, writer, and producer. A major figure of the New Hollywood era and pioneer of the modern blockbuster, he is the most commercially successful director of all time. Spie ...

, working as a cinematographer on his films since 1993. He won the Academy Award for Best Cinematography for his work on Spielberg's holocaust drama '' Schindler's List'' and World War II epic '' Saving Private Ryan'' (1998). He has also received Academy Award nominations for '' Amistad'' (1997), '' The Diving Bell & the Butterfly'' (2007) '' War Horse'' (2011), '' Lincoln'' (2012), and '' West Side Story'' (2021). He has also received five British Academy Film Award nominations, and six

American Society of Cinematographers Award 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 ...

nominations. In addition to his collaborations with Spielberg, he has also worked with

Cameron Crowe Cameron Bruce Crowe (born July 13, 1957) is an American journalist, author, writer, producer, director, actor, lyricist, and playwright. Before moving into the film industry, Crowe was a contributing editor at '' Rolling Stone'' magazine, for w ...

, James L. Brooks, and Julian Schnabel. Kamiński has also moved into the field of directing, first with the horror film ''Lost Souls'' (2000), and later television series like '' The Event'' (2011) and ''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.

Life and career

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

Jaruzelski Wojciech Witold Jaruzelski (; 6 July 1923 – 25 May 2014) was a Polish military officer, politician and ''de facto'' leader of the Polish People's Republic from 1981 until 1989. He was the First Secretary of the Polish United Workers' Party be ...

imposed martial law. He attended

Columbia College Columbia College may refer to one of several institutions of higher education in North America: Canada * Columbia College (Alberta), in Calgary * Columbia College (British Columbia), a two-year liberal arts institution in Vancouver * Columbia In ...

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

from 1982 to 1987, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree, taking up filmmaking as a profession before attending to the

AFI Conservatory The AFI Conservatory is a private not-for-profit graduate film school in the Hollywood Hills district of Los Angeles. Students (called "Fellows") learn from the masters in a collaborative, hands-on production environment with an emphasis on stor ...

, 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 admini ...

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

second unit 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 stag ...

director of photography. He shot numerous B-movies for directors Roger Corman and Katt Shea, 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'', Spielberg hired Kamiński to shoot '' Class of '61'', a television film in which Spielberg served as producer. He twice won the

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 in ...

for

Best Cinematography This is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various film, festivals, and people's awards. Best Actor/Best Actress *See Best Actor#Film awards, Best Actress#F ...

in the 1990s, for '' Schindler's List'' and '' Saving Private Ryan''. He has been nominated five additional times for '' Amistad'', '' The Diving Bell and the Butterfly'', '' War Horse'', '' Lincoln'', and '' West Side Story''. 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. Kamiński was married to actress Holly Hunter from 1995 until 2001. In 2004, he married ABC reporter Rebecca Rankin; they divorced in 2010.

Filmography

Film

Director of photography Second unit photography Additional photography Director * '' Lost Souls'' (2000) * ''Hania'' (2007)

Television

Director of photography Director Executive Producer * ''

Ukrainians in Exile ''Ukrainians in Exile'' is a 2022 Ukrainian/Polish/American documentary/ war film directed by Janek Ambros. Two time Oscar winning Janusz Kaminski produced the film. The film premiered at the 2022 Morelia International Film Festival in Morelia, ...

'' (2022)

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