Petros Palian
Iranian Armenian cinematographer (1931–2023)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Petros "Peter" Palian (Persian: پطروس پالیان, Armenian: Պետրոս Պալյան; 1 May 1931 – 15 March 2023) was an Iranian Armenian cinematographer and videographer.[1] He was the videographer for Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi in the 1950s.
Petros Palian | |
|---|---|
پطروس پالیان | |
| Born | 1 May 1931 Tehran, Pahlavi Iran (now Iran) |
| Died | 15 March 2023 (aged 91) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Other name | Peter Palian |
| Education | Syracuse University |
| Occupations | Cinematographer, videographer, film producer, memoirist |
| Spouse | Rose Schreier (m. 1967) |
Life and career
Petros Palian was born on 1 May 1931, in Tehran, Pahlavi Iran, to a family of Armenian heritage.[2] His father died when he was 3 years old.[2]
Palian was the exclusive videographer for Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and the royal court for 7 years in the 1950s.[1][3][4] He attended Syracuse University in Syracuse, New York, and studied film.[1][5] Palian married in 1967 to Rose Schreier from New Jersey, after marriage the couple lived in New York City.[5]
Palian was awarded the 1961 Silver Bear at the Berlin Film Festival for his work on Flaming Poppies, and the 1964 "Best Youth Film Award" at the Cannes Film Festival for his work on Dawn of the Capricorn.[3]
Palian lived in Los Angeles after the Iranian Revolution, where he worked as the director of photography for many of Amir Shervan's films under the name "Peter". He published his memoirs in the book titled, I Shot the Shah: The Untold Stories (2018).[6]
He died at age 91 on 15 March 2023, in Los Angeles.[1][3][4]
Filmography
| Date | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1955 | Halo (1955 film) | videographer | [3] |
| 1963 | Flaming Poppies | cinematographer | a short documentary film[3] |
| 1964 | Dawn of the Capricorn | cinematographer | also known as Dawn of the Jedi[3][7][8] |
| 1965 | Night of the Hunchback | cinematographer | |
| 1967 | Siavash in Persepolis | cinematographer | [9] |
| 1968 | Love After Death | director of photography | |
| 1969 | The Invincible Six | second unit photographer | [10] |
| 1972 | An Isfahani in New York | cinematographer, film producer, editor | [11] |
| 1974 | Friends (1974 film) | cinematographer | |
| 1978 | Made in Iran | cinematographer, director of photography | |
| 1982 | Assignment Berlin | cinematographer | [12] |
| 1987 | Hollywood Cop | director of photography | [13] |
| 1991 | Samurai Cop | cinematographer | [14] |
| 2005 | Dangerous Men | cinematographer |