Michael Ballhaus
German cinematographer (1935–2017)
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Michael Ballhaus, ASC (5 August 1935 – 12 April 2017) was a German cinematographer and filmmaker, known for his collaborations with directors Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Martin Scorsese, Mike Nichols, and James L. Brooks. He was nominated three times each for the Academy Award and BAFTA Award for Best Cinematography, and won two German Film Awards.
Michael Ballhaus | |
|---|---|
 Ballhaus in 2007 | |
| Born | 5 August 1935 |
| Died | 12 April 2017 (aged 81) Berlin, Germany |
| Occupations | Cinematographer, film director, producer, screenwriter, editor |
| Years active | 1959–2013 |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 2, including Florian |
| Parent(s) | Oskar Ballhaus Lena Hutter |
| Relatives | Carl Balhaus (uncle) |
| Awards | See below |
Early life
Ballhaus was born on 5 August 1935 in Berlin, to actors Lena Hutter and Oskar Ballhaus. His uncle was actor and director Carl Ballhaus.[1][2]
He was influenced by family friend Max Ophüls,[3] and appeared as an extra in Ophüls' last film Lola Montès (1955).[4]
Career
Ballhaus came to prominence with his work with Rainer Werner Fassbinder beginning with Whity (1971), in addition to The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant (1972), Chinese Roulette (1976) and The Marriage of Maria Braun (1978). In 1990, he was the head of the jury at the 40th Berlin International Film Festival.[5]
After settling in the United States, he worked on many American films, such as Goodfellas (1990), Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992), Wild Wild West (1999) and Gangs of New York (2002).
Ballhaus also made an appearance in Rosa von Praunheim's film Fassbinder's Women (2000).
He was nominated three times for the Academy Award for Best Cinematography, but never won. He did win awards at the Chicago Film Critics Association, the Boston Society of Film Critics, and twice at the Los Angeles Film Critics Association.
His documentary In Berlin, made with Ciro Cappellari, was released in May 2009.
Ballhaus's final film was Sherry Hormann's 3096 Days in 2013.
In 1993, Ballhaus joined the Academy of Arts, Berlin. He was also a member of the Freie Akademie der Künste Hamburg, and was a co-founding member of the Deutsche Filmakademie in 2003.
Personal life
Ballhaus was married to actress and art director Helga Maria Betten from 1958 until her death in 2006.[6] They had two sons, Florian, who is also a cinematographer, and Jan Sebastian, an assistant director.[7]
In 2011, Ballhaus married German-American director Sherry Hormann.[8]
Death
Ballhaus died at his home in Berlin at the age of 81 on 12 April 2017, after a short illness.[9]
Filmography
Feature film
Cinematographer
Executive producer
- The Thirteenth Floor (1999)
Associate producer
- Remembrance (2011)
Short film
Cinematographer
| Year | Title | Director | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | Teile I | Valie Export | Segment of I (Beat (It)) |
| 1979 | Bourbon Street Blues | Hans Schönherr Tilman Taube |
|
| 2001 | Gone Underground | Su Turhan | |
| 2002 | Mutti | ||
| 2007 | Die sanfte Schminke des Lichts | Alexander Kluge | |
| Nachts träumen die Lampen des Ateliers von ihrem wahren Leben |
|||
| 2009 | Purple Sunrise | Nina Vukovic | With Armin Dierolf |
| 2013 | First Fassbinder | Matthew Cheney |
Producer
- Last Night (2004)
Television
Cinematographer
| Year | Title | Director | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1958–70 | Sie schreiben mit | ||
| 1960 | Die Nachbarskinder | Peter Lilienthal | |
| 1961 | Die Kassette | Rudolf Noelte | |
| 1963 | Der Klassenaufsatz | Harald Benesch | |
| 1964 | Die Wohnung | ||
| Das Martyrium des Peter O'Hey | Peter Lilienthal | ||
| 1965 | Der große Wildenberg – Ein Feuilleton | Herbert Vesely | |
| 1966 | Ein Haus aus lauter Liebe | ||
| 1966 | Große Liebe | Johannes Schaaf | |
| Abschied | Peter Lilienthal | ||
| 1968 | Ganze Tage in den Bäumen | Tom Toelle | |
| Gold für Montevasall | Thomas Engel | ||
| 1969 | Der Kidnapper | Tom Toelle | |
| 1971 | Sand | Peter Palitzsch | |
| 1972 | Der Marquis von Keith | Hans Lietzau | |
| Der Held | Hagen Müller-Stahl | ||
| Adele Spitzeder | Peer Raben | ||
| 1973 | World on a Wire | Rainer Werner Fassbinder | Miniseries |
| Tatort | Wolfgang Staudte | Episode "Tote brauchen keine Wohnung" | |
| 1974 | Martha | Rainer Werner Fassbinder | |
| Rosenmontag | Peter Beauvais | ||
| Ein Haus für uns | Wim Wenders | Episodes "Aus der Familie der Panzerechsen" and "Die Insel" | |
| 1974–76 | Unter einem Dach | ||
| 1976 | Die Wahl | Rainer Boldt | |
| I Only Want You to Love Me | Rainer Werner Fassbinder | With Ernst Schmid | |
| Dorothea Merz | Peter Beauvais | ||
| Sonntag | Niels-Peter Rudolph | ||
| 1977 | Auf dem Chimborazo | Peter Beauvais | |
| Frauen in New York | Rainer Werner Fassbinder | ||
| The Stationmaster's Wife | |||
| Also es war so... | Karin Thome | with Lothar E. Stickelbrucks | |
| 1978 | Der Gehilfe | Ludwig Cremer | |
| 1979 | Trilogie des Wiedersehens | Botho Strauß | |
| 1979 | Alpensaga | Dieter Berner | Episode "Der deutsche Frühling" |
| 1980 | Weihnacht '80 – Drei geschichten | Wilhelm Pevny Dieter Berner |
Segments "Das Menschenkindl" and "Maria und Josef" |
| 1982 | Der Auslöser | Maria Neocleous | |
| 1985 | Death of a Salesman | Volker Schlöndorff | |
| 1986 | Landscape with Waitress | Jeffrey Townsend | |
| 1988 | Baja Oklahoma | Bobby Roth |
Documentary works
Cinematographer
| Year | Title | Director | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1961 | Traumland der Sehnsucht | Wolfgang Müller-Sehn | with Wolfgang Müller-Sehn |
| 1971 | Berlin – Anhalter Bahnhof – XXV Jahre danach | Leonid Wawiloff | |
| 1973 | Ich bin ein Bürger der DDR | Erika Runge | |
| 1977 | Nur zum Spaß, nur zum Spiel | Volker Schlöndorff | |
| 1977 | Curd Jürgens | Bernhard Wicki | With Xaver Schwarzenberger |
| 1978 | Germany in Autumn | Rainer Werner Fassbinder | |
| Venedig – Die Insel der Glückseligen am Rande des Untergangs | Christian Rischert | ||
| 1981 | Oye Raimundo, adónde vas? | Jaime Carrasco Francisco Chavez Luis Lupone Jesús Sánchez |
Director
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | Die Verabredung mit der Wirklichkeit | |
| Fassbinder produziert: Film Nr. 8 | With Dietmar Buchmann | |
| 2009 | In Berlin | Also writer and editor |
| 2011 | Unser Franken | With Ulla Ballhaus |
Awards and nominations
Award |
Wins |
Nominations |
|---|---|---|
| N/A | 3 | |
| N/A | 3 | |
| 3 | N/A | |
| N/A | 1 | |
Academy Awards
| Year | Category | Title | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | Best Cinematography | Broadcast News[10] | Nominated |
| 1990 | The Fabulous Baker Boys[11] | Nominated | |
| 2003 | Gangs of New York[12] | Nominated |
British Academy Film Awards
| Year | Category | Title | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | Best Cinematography | Goodfellas[13] | Nominated |
| 1994 | The Age of Innocence[14] | Nominated | |
| 2003 | Gangs of New York[15] | Nominated |
German Film Awards
| Year | Category | Title | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1973 | Best Cinematography | The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant | Won |
| 1978 | Despair | Won | |
| 2012 | Honorary Award | N/a | Won |
Independent Spirit Awards
| Year | Category | Title | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | Best Cinematography | After Hours | Nominated |
Critics awards
| Institution | Year | Category | Title | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boston Society of Film Critics | 1989 | Best Cinematography | The Fabulous Baker Boys | Won |
| Chicago Film Critics Association | 1992 | Best Cinematography | Bram Stoker's Dracula | Won |
| 2002 | Gangs of New York | Nominated | ||
| 2006 | The Departed | Nominated | ||
| Los Angeles Film Critics Association | 1989 | Best Cinematography | The Fabulous Baker Boys | Won |
| 1990 | Goodfellas | Won | ||
| National Society of Film Critics | 1986 | Best Cinematography | After Hours | Nominated |
| 1989 | The Fabulous Baker Boys | Won | ||
| 1994 | The Age of Innocence | Nominated | ||
| New York Film Critics Circle | 1989 | Best Cinematographer | The Fabulous Baker Boys | 2nd place |
| 1990 | Goodfellas | Nominated | ||
| 1993 | The Age of Innocence | Nominated | ||
| 2002 | Gangs of New York | Nominated | ||
| Seattle Film Critics Society | 2002 | Best Cinematography | Gangs of New York | Nominated |
| St. Louis Film Critics Association | 2006 | Best Cinematography | The Departed | Nominated |
Film festivals
| Institution | Year | Category | Title | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Berlin International Film Festival | 2006 | Berlinale Camera | N/a | Won |
| 2016 | Honorary Golden Bear | N/a | Won | |
| Camerimage | 1993 | Golden Frog | The Age of Innocence | Nominated |
| 2006 | The Departed | Nominated | ||
| 2010 | Lifetime Achievement Award | N/a | Won | |
| Manaki Brothers Film Festival | 2006 | Golden Camera 300 | N/a | Won |
| Shanghai International Film Festival | 2001 | Best Technology | The Legend of Bagger Vance | Won |
Other accolades
| Institution | Year | Category | Title | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Society of Cinematographers | 2003 | Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography in Theatrical Releases | Gangs of New York | Nominated |
| 2007 | International Award | N/a | Won | |
| Bambi Awards | 2009 | Honorary Award | N/a | Won |
| Bavarian Film Awards | 2007 | Honorary Award | N/a | Won |
| British Society of Cinematographers | 1990 | Best Cinematography in a Theatrical Feature Film | Goodfellas | Nominated |
| European Film Awards | 2007 | Outstanding Achievement in World Cinema | N/a | Won |
| Goldene Kamera | 1996 | Honorary Award | N/a | Won |
| MTV Video Music Awards | 1987 | Best Cinematography | Papa Don't Preach | Nominated |
| Raymond Loewy Foundation | 2001 | Lucky Strike Designer Award [de][16] | N/a | Won |
| Romy Award | 2013 | Best Cinematography | 3096 Days | Won |
| Satellite Awards | 2000 | Best Cinematography | The Legend of Bagger Vance | Nominated |
| 2002 | Gangs of New York | Nominated |
