Owen Roizman | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1936-09-22)September 22, 1936 New York City, U.S. |
| Died | January 6, 2023(2023-01-06) (aged 86) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Years active | 1970–2020 |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 1 |
| President of theAmerican Society of Cinematographers | |
| In office 1997–1998 | |
| Preceded by | Victor J. Kemper |
| Succeeded by | Woody Omens |
Owen Roizman (September 22, 1936 – January 6, 2023) was an American cinematographer, nominated five times for theAcademy Award for Best Cinematography.
He served on the Board of Governors of theAcademy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and was president of theAmerican Society of Cinematographers.
Roizman was raised inBrooklyn,[1] and as a child, he wanted to be a baseball player, physicist, or mathematician.[2] He had a tryout with theNew York Yankees but contractedpolio as a teenager.[3] His father, Sol, was a cameraman forMovietone News, and upon hearing about the film industry's possible wages, Roizman decided, "I'm going for the money!"[2] He began working during summer breaks at a camera rental store in New York City and later was an assistant to cinematographerGerald Hirschfeld at MPO Videotronics.[4]
After creating several television commercials, Roizman made his feature film debut in 1970 withStop.[5] His second film,William Friedkin'sThe French Connection (1971), earned him anAcademy Award nomination forBest Cinematography.[1] The film set the style for many of his future films, with "gritty New York street photography" andavailable light.[4]
Throughout the 1970s, he also worked onPlay It Again, Sam (1972),The Heartbreak Kid (1972),The Exorcist (1973),Three Days of the Condor (1975), andNetwork (1976), among others, garnering Academy Award nominations for Best Cinematography forThe Exorcist andNetwork.[1] Roizman received two more Academy Award nominations, forWyatt Earp (1994) andTootsie (1982). His final film wasLawrence Kasdan'sFrench Kiss (1995).[3]
Roizman was a member of the Board of Governors of theAcademy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences from 2002 to 2011, representing the Cinematographers Branch, and was a member of theAmerican Society of Cinematographers (ASC). Roizman was ASC president from 1997 to 1998 and served on its board.[4] He received anAcademy Honorary Award at the 9thGovernors Awards ceremony in 2017.[5]
Roizman lived in theEncino neighborhood of Los Angeles with his wife, Mona. They had a son, Eric, who became a camera operator.[6]
Roizman died under hospice care at his home on January 6, 2023, at the age of 86.[6]
Film
| Year | Title | Director |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | Stop | Bill Gunn |
| 1971 | The French Connection | William Friedkin |
| The Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight | James Goldstone | |
| 1972 | Play It Again, Sam | Herbert Ross |
| The Heartbreak Kid | Elaine May | |
| 1973 | The Exorcist | William Friedkin |
| 1974 | The Taking of Pelham One Two Three | Joseph Sargent |
| 1975 | The Stepford Wives | Bryan Forbes |
| Three Days of the Condor | Sydney Pollack | |
| 1976 | The Return of a Man Called Horse | Irvin Kershner |
| Network | Sidney Lumet | |
| 1978 | Straight Time | Ulu Grosbard |
| Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band | Michael Schultz | |
| 1979 | The Electric Horseman | Sydney Pollack |
| 1980 | The Black Marble | Harold Becker |
| 1981 | True Confessions | Ulu Grosbard |
| Absence of Malice | Sydney Pollack | |
| Taps | Harold Becker | |
| 1982 | Tootsie | Sydney Pollack |
| 1985 | Vision Quest | Harold Becker |
| 1990 | I Love You to Death | Lawrence Kasdan |
| Havana | Sydney Pollack | |
| 1991 | The Addams Family | Barry Sonnenfeld |
| Grand Canyon | Lawrence Kasdan | |
| 1994 | Wyatt Earp | |
| 1995 | French Kiss |
Short film
| Year | Title | Director |
|---|---|---|
| 1976 | Independence | John Huston |
Television
| Year | Title | Director | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1972 | Liza with a Z | Bob Fosse | Concert film |
| 2020 | Cine Chalom | Yossi Benavraham | Episode "EXTRAIT DU FILM "LES TROIS JOURS DU CONDOR" DE SYDNEY POLLACK... 1975" |
Ref.:[7][6][8][9][10][11][12][13]
Academy Awards
| Year | Title | Category | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1971 | The French Connection | Best Cinematography[5] | Nominated |
| 1973 | The Exorcist | Nominated | |
| 1976 | Network | Nominated | |
| 1982 | Tootsie | Nominated | |
| 1994 | Wyatt Earp | Nominated | |
| 2017 | Academy Honorary Award | Won | |
American Society of Cinematographers
| Year | Category | Title | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography | Wyatt Earp | Nominated |
| 1997 | Lifetime Achievement Award | Won[7] | |
Other awards
| Year | Award | Category | Title | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1972 | Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Cinematography for a Limited Series or Movie | Liza with a Z | Nominated |
| 2000 | Palm Springs International Film Festival | Career Achievement Award | Won | |
| 2001 | Camerimage | Lifetime Achievement Award | Won | |
| 2011 | Ojai Film Festival | Lifetime Achievement Award (shared withMitzi Gaynor) | Won[14] | |
