Donald Peterman
{{short description|American cinematographer}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Donald Peterman
| birth_name = Donald William Peterman
| birth_date = {{birth date|1932|1|3}}
| birth_place = Los Angeles, California, U.S.
| death_date ={{death date and age|2011|2|5|1932|1|3}}
| death_place =Palos Verdes Estates, California, U.S.
| other_names = Don Peterman
| occupation = Cinematographer
| years_active = 1966–2000
| organisation = American Society of Cinematographers
| known_for =
| awards =
}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2011}}
Donald William Peterman, {{small|ASC}} (January 3, 1932 – February 5, 2011) was an American cinematographer whose numerous feature film credits included Flashdance, Cocoon, Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, Point Break, and Men in Black. {{cite news|title=Perry Moore, 'Narnia' series executive producer, dies at 39; Don Peterman, Oscar-nominated cinematographer, dies at 79; Nancy Carr, network TV publicist, dies at 50 |url=https://www.latimes.com/news/obituaries/la-me-passings-20110221,0,2646777.story|work=Los Angeles Times |date=February 22, 2011 |access-date=February 23, 2011}} He was a regular collaborator of directors like Ron Howard, Ron Underwood and Barry Sonnenfeld. He was a two-time Academy Award nominee and a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and the American Society of Cinematographers since 1984.
Life and career
Donald William Peterman was born in Los Angeles, on January 3, 1932. He graduated from Redondo Union High School in Redondo Beach, California, before serving in the United States Army during the early 1950s. Peterman began shooting documentaries for the U.S. Army during his time in the service.
Peterman began his professional career as a clapper loader for Hal Roach Studios at the age of 22 after leaving the U.S. Army.{{cite news|title='Flashdance' d.p. Don Peterman dies at 79 |url=https://www.variety.com/article/VR1118032628?refCatId=13|work=Variety |date=February 21, 2011 |access-date=February 23, 2011}} He departed Hal Roach Studios for Cascade Studios, where he worked the optical printer and animation camera. Peterman left Cascade Studios to work on the Lassie television series, but later returned to Cascade Studios to become director of photography for the studio's television commercial productions.
Peterman made his film debut as director of photography in the 1979 horror film, When a Stranger Calls. The film, described by Peterman as a "a down-and-dirty production," was shot in 25 days with a $1.7 million budget.{{Cite web|url=http://www.icgmagazine.com/web/remembering-don-peterman-asc/|title=Remembering Don Peterman, ASC|last=Fisher|first=Bob|work=ICG Magazine|date=March 8, 2011|access-date=September 9, 2017}} Peterman was able to shoot nighttime scenes in six foot-candles of soft light without the aid of high-speed film stock or lenses.
Peterman was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Cinematography on the 1983 film, Flashdance, starring Jennifer Beals. However, he lost to Sven Nykvist at the 56th Academy Awards. Peterman received his second nomination in 1986 for his work on Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, which was directed by Leonard Nimoy, but lost to Chris Menges at the 59th Academy Awards in 1987. Peterman's many other film credits included Splash in 1984, Cocoon in 1985, 1991's Point Break and the comedy Get Shorty, which was released in 1995, and Men In Black in 1997.
In 1997, Peterman suffered head injuries, a broken leg and broken ribs in an accident on the film set of Mighty Joe Young. Peterman was on a platform suspended eighteen feet from the ground when the crane holding the platform snapped, throwing Peterman to the ground. A cameraman working with Peterman was also injured in the accident. Production was delayed for two days, and Peterman was replaced by Oliver Wood for the remainder of principal photography.
Peterman's last film was Ron Howard's How the Grinch Stole Christmas in 2000.
Donald Peterman died at his home in Palos Verdes Estates, California, of myelodysplastic syndrome on February 5, 2011, at the age of 79.
Filmography
Film
| class="wikitable" |
| Year
! Title ! Director ! Notes |
|---|
| 1973
| |
| 1979
| |
| rowspan=2|1981
| Noel Nosseck | |
| Rich and Famous
| |
| rowspan=2|1982
| |
| Kiss Me Goodbye
| |
| 1983
| |
| rowspan=3|1984
| Splash | |
| Best Defense
| |
| Mass Appeal
| |
| rowspan=2|1985
| Cocoon | Ron Howard | |
| American Flyers
| |
| rowspan=2|1986
| Gung Ho | Ron Howard | |
| Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home
| |
| 1987
| Planes, Trains and Automobiles |rowspan=2|John Hughes | |
| 1988
| |
| 1989
| |
| 1991
| |
| 1992
| |
| 1993
| |
| 1994
| |
| 1995
|rowspan=2|Barry Sonnenfeld | |
| 1997
| |
| 1998
| Ron Underwood | With Oliver Wood |
| 2000
| How the Grinch Stole Christmas | Ron Howard | |
Documentary film
| class="wikitable" |
| Year
! Title ! Director ! Notes |
|---|
| 1973
| The Far Sound | Documentary short |
| 1979
| UFOs: Past, Present, and Future | Ray Rivas | With Stan Laza |
Television
| class="wikitable" |
| Year
! Title ! Director ! Note |
|---|
| 1974
| Episode "The Ripper" |
Accolades
Academy Awards
| class="wikitable" |
| Year
! Category ! Title ! Result |
|---|
| 1983
|rowspan=2| Best Cinematography | Flashdance | {{nom}} |
| 1986
| Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home | {{nom}} |
American Society of Cinematographers
| class="wikitable" |
| Year
! Category ! Title ! Result |
|---|
| 1986
| Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography | Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home | {{nom}} |
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{IMDb name|676286|Donald Peterman}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Peterman, Donald}}
Category:Deaths from myelodysplastic syndrome
Category:American cinematographers
Category:Film people from Los Angeles
Category:People from Redondo Beach, California