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Harold Rosson
Rosson with his second wife Jean Harlow (1934)
Born	Harold G. Rosson (1895-04-06)April 6, 1895 New York City,New York, U.S.
Died	September 6, 1988(1988-09-06) (aged 93) Palm Beach, Florida, U.S.
Resting place	Hollywood Forever Cemetery
Other names	Hal Rosson
Occupation	Cinematographer
Years active	1908–1958, 1966
Spouses	Nina Byron ​ ​ (m. 1924; div. 1926)​ Jean Harlow ​ ​ (m. 1933; div. 1935)​ Yvonne Crellin ​ ​ (m. 1936; div. 1945)​
Relatives	Arthur Rosson (brother) Richard Rosson (brother) Helene Rosson (sister)

Harold G. "Hal" Rosson,A.S.C. (April 6, 1895 – September 6, 1988) was an Americancinematographer who worked during the early andclassical Hollywood cinema, in a career spanning some 52 years, starting from the silent era in 1915. He is best known for his work on the fantasy filmThe Wizard of Oz (1939) and the musicalSingin' in the Rain (1952), as well as his marriage toJean Harlow.^[1]

Born inNew York City,^[1] Rosson came from a film-making family. His older brotherArthur was a successful director as was his other older brotherRichard and his younger sisterHelene was an actress.^[2]

Harold Rosson began his film career in 1908 as an actor at theVitagraph Studios in theFlatbush area ofBrooklyn. He became the assistant toIrvin Willat at theMark Dintenfass Studios. In 1912 he divided his time as an office boy in a stockbrokers firm and as an assistant, extra, and handyman at theFamous Players Studio in New York. His first film for Famous Players wasDavid Harum (1915).

In December 1914, Rosson moved toCalifornia and joinedMetro Pictures. DuringWorld War I, he served in theUnited States Army. After his demobilization, he went to work on theMarion Davies filmThe Dark Star. He was offered a contract with theDavies Company. In 1920 he was signed byMary Pickford working primarily with her brotherJack Pickford. In the 1930s, Rosson signed withMetro-Goldwyn-Mayer and directed the photography for some of the studios most popular films includingTreasure Island (1934),The Wizard of Oz (1939),On the Town (1949) andSingin' in the Rain (1952).^[1] In 1936, Rosson and fellow cinematographerW. Howard Greene were awarded anHonorary Oscar for the color cinematography of the 1936David O. Selznick productionThe Garden of Allah.^[3] Rosson later said it was the first time he attempted to film in color.^[1]

After a very long and successful career inHollywood, Rosson retired in 1958. He briefly came out of retirement for theHoward Hawks filmEl Dorado (1966) starringJohn Wayne.^[4]

Rosson was married three times, with all of his marriages ending in divorce, and had no children.^[1][5] His first marriage was to actressNina Byron, which lasted from 1924 to 1926. While shooting the filmBombshell in 1933, actressJean Harlow proposed to Rosson. They had worked together previously onRed-Headed Woman,Dinner at Eight,Hold Your Man andRed Dust and had struck up a friendship.^[6] On September 17, 1933, the couple married inYuma, Arizona.^[7] In an interview withLeicester Wagner, Harlow recalled that she and Rosson grew closer after the death of her second husband, M-G-M producerPaul Bern, and he encouraged her to go out and socialize.^[8] Rosson and Harlow separated in May 1934 with Harlow charging that Rosson was "rude, sullen and irritable". She was granted a divorce in March 1935.^[9]

His third and final marriage was socialite Yvonne Crellin. They married on October 11, 1936 in Beverly Hills.^[10] They divorced in June 1945.^[11]

On September 6, 1988, Rosson died at his home inPalm Beach, Florida.^[3] He is buried inHollywood Forever Cemetery.^[12]

Harold Rosson was nominated for fiveAcademy Awards:The Wizard of Oz (1939),Boom Town (1940),Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo (1944),The Asphalt Jungle (1950),The Bad Seed (1956).^[1]

Rosson was awarded anHonorary Oscar for the color cinematography ofDavid O. Selznick productionThe Garden of Allah (1936).^[3]

• That Mothers Might Live (1938)

• Cheyenne (1 episode, 1956)
• Conflict (1 episode, 1956)

• Harold Rosson atIMDb
• Harold Rosson atFind a Grave

• 1895 births
• 1988 deaths
• Academy Honorary Award recipients
• American cinematographers
• United States Army personnel of World War I
• Burials at Hollywood Forever Cemetery
• Artists from New York City
• United States Army soldiers

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