Owen Roizman

Roizman was raised in Brooklyn,^[1] and as a child, he wanted to be a baseball player, physicist, or mathematician.^[2] He had a tryout with the New York Yankees but contracted polio as a teenager.^[3]

His father, Sol, was a cameraman for Movietone News, and upon hearing about the film industry's possible wages, Roizman decided, "I'm going for the money!" He began working during summer breaks at a camera rental store in New York City and later was an assistant to cinematographer Gerald Hirschfeld at MPO Videotronics.^[4]

After creating several television commercials, Roizman made his feature film debut in 1970 with Stop.^[5] His second film, William Friedkin's The French Connection (1971), earned him a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Cinematography.^[1] The film set the style for many of his future films, with "gritty New York street photography" and available light.^[4]

Throughout his career, he garnered a total of five nominations for Best Cinematography.^[1]

His final film was Lawrence Kasdan's French Kiss (1995).^[3]

Roizman was a member of the Board of Governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences from 2002 to 2011, representing the Cinematographers Branch, and was a member of the American Society of Cinematographers (ASC). Roizman was ASC president from 1997 to 1998 and served on its board.^[4] He received an Academy Honorary Award at the 9th Governors Awards ceremony in 2017.^[5]

Roizman lived in the Encino neighborhood of Los Angeles with his wife, Mona. They had a son, Eric, who became a camera operator.^[6]

On January 6, 2023, Roizman died under hospice care at his home at the age of 86.^[7]

Film

Short film

Television

Ref.:^{[8][9][10][11][12]}