Robert Surtees | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | (1906-08-09)August 9, 1906 Covington, Kentucky, U.S. |
| Died | January 5, 1985(1985-01-05) (aged 78) Monterey, California, U.S. |
| Occupation | Cinematographer |
| Years active | 1931–1978 |
| Known for | The Bad and the Beautiful Ben-Hur The Graduate King Solomon's Mines The Last Picture Show Oklahoma! Same Time, Next Year The Sting Summer of '42 Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo The Turning Point Quo Vadis |
| Spouse | Maydell Lois James (m. 1930) |
| Children | 4, includingBruce Surtees |
Robert Lee SurteesA.S.C. (August 9, 1906 – January 5, 1985) was an American cinematographer who won threeAcademy Awards for the filmsKing Solomon's Mines,The Bad and the Beautiful and the 1959 version ofBen-Hur. Surtees worked at various studios, includingUniversal,UFA,Warner Brothers, andMGM, lighting for notable directorsHoward Hawks,Mike Nichols, andWilliam Wyler, gaining him a reputation as one of the most versatile cinematographers of his time.
Robert L. Surtees was born inCovington, Kentucky, on August 9, 1906. He grew up inOhio where he got a job as a photographer and retoucher at a portrait studio inCincinnati. Surtees then moved toNew York City for a year to study photography, but always had a goal of becoming acinematographer.[1]
With an intention to attend college, Surtees moved toCalifornia in 1925. Roy C. Hunter atUniversal offered him a job after some of his work was published in Towing Topics Automotive Club magazine. He assistedHarry Neumann, ASC, on aHoot Gibson WesternHey, Hey Cowboy in 1925, Jerry Ash, ASC, on theAndy Gump comedies also in 1925, andJackson Rose, ASC, on theReginald DennyLeather Pushers series in 1926.The Man Who Laughs (1928), photographed by Gil Warrenton, ASC was Surtees' first high budget picture as an assistant.[1]
From 1928 to 1929 Surtees worked forUniversal andUFA as an assistant toCharles Stumar in France, Germany, Switzerland, and Italy.[1] Some sources say that he assistedGregg Toland andJoseph Ruttenburg in the latter years of the 1920s before going abroad and this is what kick-started his career.[2] In 1930 Surtees returned to California and assistedHal Mohr, ASC, onKing of Jazz. He went on to shoot 36 pictures with Mohr at Universal,Warner Brothers, Pathé andFox Studios over a period of 6 years from 1930 to 1936. In 1935, Surtees applied to be a member of theASC as a camera operator just after completing 13 weeks as an operator at Warner Brother's Studios on the filmA Midsummer Night's Dream (1935).
Surtees' first film as a director of photography wasThis Precious Freedom (1942), a propaganda film made for the US army, which was only released to the military.[3]
He shot a few more pictures with various directors such as Frank Buck and Ed Sutherland onJacquerai in September 1942, andLes Goodwins onIce Capades in October 1942. On October 20, 1942, Surtees submitted another application to ASC as a director of photography while employed at Freelance Independent Producers.
Shortly after this Surtees landed a job atMGM where he began his long tenure and produced his most notable work beginning withThirty Seconds Over Tokyo, shot alongsideHarold Rosson, ASC and nominated for an Oscar in the category of Black and White Cinematography in 1944. Robert Surtees went on to film nearly 100 motion pictures in his 48-year career, includingKing Solomon's Mines (1950),The Bad and the Beautiful (1952), andBen Hur (1959), which each won an Oscar.[4] Not to mention his 13 other films that also received nomination for Best Cinematography, includingThe Graduate (1967),The Last Picture Show (1971), andThe Sting (1973).
Surtees was a sought-after cinematographer because of his versatility -— "I have liked doing all kinds of pictures—musical, comedies, and action-adventure".[3] He also gained a reputation for being a stickler for precise color control and proper exposure of thenegative, arranging his lighting and camera angles so he could provide the lab with the best negative he could make.
Surtees enjoyed experimenting with lighting, and always found ways to properly light a scene, even without all the necessary equipment; for instance, onKing Solomon's Mines (1950), when generators could not be transported throughout the dense African jungle, Surtees lit the whole film withreflectors.
He also played a role with regards to technological innovations, being one of the first to use atelephoto lens (500mm) inThe Graduate (1967).
Robert Surtees married Maydell Lois James in 1930 before moving to California. The couple had two daughters (Linda, later Linda Lowers, and Nancy, later Nancy Corby), as well as two sons (Thomas andBruce).[1]Bruce was also a director of photography, working alongside his father onLost Horizon (1973), as a first cameraman on a second camera unit.
Robert Surtees died on January 5, 1985, following a long illness.[citation needed]
Robert L. Surtees Best Cinematography[5]
