Robert Richardson (cinematographer)
{{short description|American cinematographer}}
{{Infobox person
|name = Robert Richardson
|honorific_suffix = ASC
|image = Robert Richardson 2019 by Glenn Francis.jpg
|alt =
|caption = Richardson in 2019
|birth_name = Robert Bridge Richardson
|birth_date = {{birth date and age|1955|8|27}}
|birth_place = Hyannis, Massachusetts, U.S.
|death_date =
|death_place =
|death_cause =
|education = AFI Conservatory
|alma_mater = AFI and RISD
|years_active = 1981–present
|spouse = {{plainlist|Currently Single
- Monona Wali
- Stephanie Martin
}}
|partner =
|children = Kanchan Wali-Richardson
Maya Wali Richardson
Bibi Haberstock Richardson
}}
Robert Bridge Richardson, {{small|ASC}} (born August 27, 1955) is an American cinematographer.{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/movies/person/108198/Robert-Richardson|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140323121141/https://www.nytimes.com/movies/person/108198/Robert-Richardson|archive-date=March 23, 2014|department=Movies & TV Dept.|work=The New York Times|date=2014|title=Robert Richardson|url-status=dead}}
Having collaborated with prestigious filmmakers like Oliver Stone, Martin Scorsese and Quentin Tarantino, he's known for his trademark aggressively bright highlight and for exploring a variety of visual styles, both with film and digital cameras.
He is one of three living people who has won the Academy Award for Best Cinematography three times,{{cite journal|journal=American Cinematographer|author=Pavlus, John|url=http://www.theasc.com/magazine/jan05/aviator/page1.html|date=January 2005|title=High Life}} sharing the position with Vittorio Storaro and Emmanuel Lubezki.
Early life and education
{{Blp unsourced section|date=March 2025}}
Richardson was born in Hyannis, Massachusetts. He graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design with a BFA in Film/Animation/Video and received his MFA from AFI Conservatory.
Career
Richardson's work began as a camera operator and 2nd unit photographer on such features as Alex Cox's Repo Man, Dorian Walker's Making the Grade and Wes Craven's A Nightmare on Elm Street (all in 1984). At the same time he also served as cinematographer on TV documentaries and docudramas such as America, America for The Disney Channel, God's Peace for the BBC and PBS' The Front Line: El Salvador. His television work and documentary-style filmmaking led to his meeting Oliver Stone, who hired him to "shoot" Salvador (1986).
Oliver Stone's major motion picture debut was also Richardson's first film as director of photography. Salvador was also filmed in the same year as Stone's Platoon. Platoon would earn Richardson his first Oscar nomination for Best Cinematography. In 1987, Richardson reteamed with Stone on Wall Street. In 1988, he filmed Eight Men Out for John Sayles. In 1989, he earned his second Best Cinematography Oscar nomination for Stone's Born on the Fourth of July.
In 1991, Richardson won the first of his Best Cinematography Academy Awards for his work on Stone's JFK; he also shot Stone's The Doors that same year. He worked with Sayles again in 1991 for City of Hope. In 1992, he worked as director of photography on Rob Reiner's A Few Good Men. He served as a 2nd unit photographer for Haskell Wexler on To the Moon, Alice, a "Showtime 30-Minute Movie" (for which he was also credited as a visual consultant). He began a long working relationship with Martin Scorsese in 1995, with Casino. Also in 1995, he was the cinematographer on Stone's Nixon. In 1997, Richardson photographed Errol Morris's documentary Fast, Cheap and Out of Control as well as filming the majority of Stone's U Turn{{Citation needed|reason=the phrase "the majority" needs clarification and a source. He's the only credited cinematographer for U-Turn.|date=July 2022}} and serving as director of photography for Barry Levinson's Wag the Dog.
Richardson worked on the 2013 zombie film World War Z, but asked for his name to be taken off the final product. The credited cinematographer is Ben Seresin.{{cite web|last1=Jagernauth|first1=Kevin|title=Watch: Robert Richardson Explains Why He Took His Name Off 'World War Z' And More In 58-Minute Cinematographer Talk|url=http://www.indiewire.com/2016/02/watch-robert-richardson-explains-why-he-took-his-name-off-world-war-z-and-more-in-58-minute-cinematographer-talk-83978/|website=IndieWire|access-date=September 20, 2016|date=February 3, 2016}}
Personal life
{{Blp unsourced section|date=March 2025}}
Richardson has four children, Kanchan, Maya, Bibi and x. His family previously ran the Cape Cod Sea Camps situated on Cape Cod Bay prior to selling them in 2021.{{citation needed|date=July 2022}}
Filmography
=Film=
| class="wikitable" |
| Year
! Title ! Director ! Notes |
|---|
| rowspan=2|1986
| Salvador |rowspan=2|Oliver Stone | 1st collaboration with Stone |
| Platoon
| |
| rowspan=2|1987
| Dudes | |
| Wall Street
| Oliver Stone | |
| rowspan=2|1988
| |
| Talk Radio
|rowspan=2|Oliver Stone | |
| 1989
| |
| rowspan=3|1991
| John Sayles | |
| The Doors
|rowspan=2|Oliver Stone | |
| JFK
| |
| 1992
| |
| 1993
|rowspan=2|Oliver Stone | |
| 1994
| |
| rowspan=2|1995
| 1st collaboration with Scorsese |
| Nixon
|rowspan=2|Oliver Stone | |
| rowspan=2|1997
| U Turn | |
| Wag the Dog
| Also made a cameo as "Man in TV Studio" (Uncredited) |
| 1998
| |
| rowspan=2|1999
| |
| Bringing Out the Dead
| Martin Scorsese | |
| 2002
| |
| 2003
|rowspan=2|Quentin Tarantino |rowspan=2| 1st collaboration with Tarantino; |
| rowspan=2|2004 |
| The Aviator
| Martin Scorsese | |
| 2006
| |
| 2009
| Quentin Tarantino | |
| rowspan=2|2010
| Martin Scorsese | |
| Eat Pray Love
| |
| 2011
| Hugo |Martin Scorsese | |
| 2012
|Quentin Tarantino | |
| 2013
| Uncredited{{Cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/brad-pitt-world-war-z-production-nightmare-336422|title=Brad Pitt's Zombie Nightmare: Inside the Troubled 'World War Z' Production|website=The Hollywood Reporter|date=12 June 2012}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.cinemablend.com/new/Someone-Important-Fought-Keep-Their-Name-Off-World-War-Z-Here-Why-110137.html|title=Someone Important Fought To Keep Their Name Off Of World War Z, Here's Why|date=February 4, 2016|website=CINEMABLEND}} |
| 2015
| Quentin Tarantino | |
| 2016
| 1st collaboration with Affleck |
| 2017
| Breathe | 1st collaboration with Serkis |
| rowspan=2|2018
| Adrift | |
| A Private War
| |
| 2019
| Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood | Quentin Tarantino | |
| 2021
| Andy Serkis | |
| 2022
| 1st collaboration with Fuqua |
| rowspan=2|2023
| Air | Ben Affleck | |
| The Equalizer 3
| Antoine Fuqua | |
| TBA
| {{Pending film|4 Kids Walk Into a Bank}} | Post-production |
=Documentary works=
Film
| class="wikitable" |
| Year
!Title !Director !Notes |
|---|
| 1984
| The Front Line | Jeff B. Harmon | With Jacques Audrain |
| 1997
| Fast, Cheap & Out of Control |rowspan=2|Errol Morris | |
| 1999
| Mr. Death: The Rise and Fall of Fred A. Leuchter, Jr. | |
| rowspan=2|2008
| Concert film |
| Standard Operating Procedure
| Errol Morris | With Robert Chappell |
| 2011
| George Harrison: Living in the Material World | Martin Scorsese | With Martin Kenzie |
| 2017
| The Return | Erich Joiner | |
| 2021
| JFK Revisited: Through the Looking Glass | |
| {{TBA}}
| In between Stars and Scars: Masters of Cinema | Yi Zhou | With Yi Zhou |
Television
| class="wikitable" |
| Year
!Title !Director !Notes |
|---|
| 1982
| Desperate Dreams | Daniel J. Blackburn | TV movie |
| 1985
| Himself | Episode "Losin' It: Sex and the American Teenager" |
| 1987
| John Cosgrove | Segment Missing...Have You Seen This Person? |
| 2021
| JFK: Destiny Betrayed | Miniseries |
Award and nominations
American Society of Cinematographers
| class=wikitable |
| scope="col" style="width:5em;" | Year
! scope="col" style="width:26em;"| Category ! scope="col" style="width:25em;"| Nominated work ! scope="col" style="width:5em;" | Result |
|---|
| style="text-align:center;"| 1989
|rowspan=11| Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography | Born on the Fourth of July | {{nom}} |
| style="text-align:center;"| 1991
| JFK | {{nom}} |
| style="text-align:center;"| 1992
| A Few Good Men | {{nom}} |
| style="text-align:center;"| 1993
| Heaven & Earth | {{nom}} |
| style="text-align:center;"| 1998
| The Horse Whisperer | {{nom}} |
| style="text-align:center;"| 1999
| Snow Falling on Cedars | {{nom}} |
| style="text-align:center;"| 2004
| The Aviator | {{nom}} |
| style="text-align:center;"| 2006
| The Good Shepherd | {{nom}} |
| style="text-align:center;"| 2009
| Inglourious Basterds | {{nom}} |
| style="text-align:center;"| 2011
| Hugo | {{nom}} |
| style="text-align:center;"| 2019
| Once Upon a Time in Hollywood | {{nom}} |
Miscellaneous awards
Notes
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{IMDb name|0724744|Robert Richardson}}
- {{Tcmdb name}}
- [http://www.theasc.com/magazine/jan05/aviator/page1.html American Cinematographer Magazine, interview with Robert Richardson] about The Aviator
{{Navboxes
|title = Awards for Robert Richardson
|list =
{{AcademyAwardBestCinematography 2001–2020}}
{{Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Cinematography}}
{{Dallas–Fort Worth Film Critics Association Award for Best Cinematography}}
{{Florida Film Critics Circle Award for Best Cinematography}}
{{Independent Spirit Award for Best Cinematography}}
{{Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Cinematography}}
}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Richardson, Robert}}
Category:American cinematographers
Category:AFI Conservatory alumni
Category:Best Cinematographer Academy Award winners
Category:Independent Spirit Award winners