Haskell Wexler,

ASC ASC may refer to: Educational institutions * Anglican Schools Commission, Australia * Andres Soriano Colleges of Bislig, located in Surigao del Sur, Philippines * Agnes Scott College, Decatur, Georgia Organizations Australia * Australian Singi ...

(February 6, 1922 – December 27, 2015) was an American

cinematographer The cinematographer or director of photography (sometimes shortened to DP or DOP) is the person responsible for the photographing or recording of a film, television production, music video or other live action piece. The cinematographer is the ch ...

, film producer, and director. Wexler was judged to be one of film history's ten most influential cinematographers in a survey of the members of the International Cinematographers Guild. He won the

Academy Award for Best Cinematography The Academy Award for Best Cinematography is an Academy Award awarded each year to a cinematographer for work on one particular motion picture. History In its first film season, 1927–28, this award (like others such as the acting awards) w ...

twice, in 1966 and 1976, out of five nominations. In his obituary in The New York Times, Wexler is described as being "renowned as one of the most inventive cinematographers in Hollywood."

Early life and education

Wexler was born to a

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

family in Chicago in 1922. His parents were Simon and Lottie Wexler, whose children included Jerrold, Joyce (Isaacs) and Yale. He attended the progressive Francis Parker School, where he was best friends with Barney Rosset. After a year of college at the

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant un ...

, he volunteered as a seaman in the Merchant Marine in 1941, as the U.S. was preparing to enter

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

. He became friends with fellow sailor

Woody Guthrie Woodrow Wilson Guthrie (; July 14, 1912 – October 3, 1967) was an American singer-songwriter, one of the most significant figures in American folk music. His work focused on themes of American socialism and anti-fascism. He has inspire ...

, who later gained fame as a folk singer. While in the Merchant Marine, Wexler advocated for the desegregation of seamen.''Current Biography Yearbook 2007'', H. W. Wilson Co. (2007) pp. 594-596 In November 1942, his ship was torpedoed by a German submarine and sank off the coast of South Africa. He spent 10 days on a lifeboat before being rescued. After the war, Wexler received the

Silver Star The Silver Star Medal (SSM) is the United States Armed Forces' third-highest military decoration for valor in combat. The Silver Star Medal is awarded primarily to members of the United States Armed Forces for gallantry in action against an e ...

and was promoted to the rank of second officer. He returned to Chicago after his discharge in 1946 and began working in the stockroom at his father's company, Allied Radio. He decided he wanted to become a filmmaker, although he had no experience, and his father helped him set up a small studio in

Des Plaines Des Plaines is a city in Cook County, Illinois, United States. Per the 2020 census, the population was 60,675. The city is a suburb of Chicago and is located just north of O'Hare International Airport. It is situated on and is named after th ...

, Illinois. He began by shooting industrial films at Midwest factories. When his studio lost too much money, it was eventually shut down, but the business served as an unofficial film school for Wexler. He later took freelance jobs as a cameraman, joining the International Photographers Guild in 1947. He worked his way up to more technical positions after beginning as an assistant cameraman on various projects. He made a number of documentaries, including ''

The Living City ''The Living City'' is a 1953 American short documentary film about Chicago, by Haskell Wexler and John Barnes. It was nominated for an Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical m ...

'', which was nominated for an Academy Award.

Film career

Wexler briefly made industrial films in Chicago, then in 1947 became an assistant cameraman. Wexler worked on documentary features and shorts; low-budget docu-dramas such as 1959's ''

The Savage Eye ''The Savage Eye'' is a 1959 "dramatized documentary" film that superposes a dramatic narration of the life of a divorced woman with documentary camera footage of Los Angeles. The film was written, produced, directed, and edited by Ben Maddow, Sid ...

'', television's ''

The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet ''The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet'' is an American television sitcom that aired on ABC from October 3, 1952, to April 23, 1966, and starred the real-life Nelson family. After a long run on radio, the show was brought to television, where it ...

'' and TV commercials (he would later found Wexler-Hall, a television commercial production company, with Conrad Hall). He made ten documentary films with director Saul Landau, including ''Paul Jacobs and the Nuclear Gang'', which aired on PBS and won an

Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...

and a George Polk Award. Other notable documentaries shot and co-directed (with Landau) by Wexler included '' Brazil: A Report on Torture'' and ''The CIA Case Officer'' and ''The Sixth Sun: A Mayan Uprising in Chiapas''. In 1963 Wexler self-funded, produced and photographed the documentary ''The Bus'' in which a group of

Freedom Riders Freedom Riders were civil rights activists who rode interstate buses into the segregated Southern United States in 1961 and subsequent years to challenge the non-enforcement of the United States Supreme Court decisions ''Morgan v. Virginia'' ...

are followed as they make their way from San Francisco to Washington D.C. That same year he served as the cinematographer on his first big-budget film,

Elia Kazan Elia Kazan (; born Elias Kazantzoglou ( el, Ηλίας Καζαντζόγλου); September 7, 1909 – September 28, 2003) was an American film and theatre director, producer, screenwriter and actor, described by ''The New York Times'' as "one o ...

's ''

America America ''America America'' (British title ''The Anatolian Smile''—a reference to an ongoing acknowledgment of the character Stavros' captivating smile) is a 1963 American drama film directed, produced and written by Elia Kazan, adapted from his own b ...

''. Kazan was nominated for a Best Director

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

. Wexler worked steadily in Hollywood thereafter.

George Lucas George Walton Lucas Jr. (born May 14, 1944) is an American filmmaker. Lucas is best known for creating the '' Star Wars'' and '' Indiana Jones'' franchises and founding Lucasfilm, LucasArts, Industrial Light & Magic and THX. He served as c ...

, then 20, met Wexler who shared his hobby of auto racing. Wexler pulled a few strings to help Lucas get admitted to the USC Film School. Wexler would later work with Lucas as a consultant for '' American Graffiti'' (1973). Wexler was cinematographer of

Mike Nichols Mike Nichols (born Michael Igor Peschkowsky; November 6, 1931 – November 19, 2014) was an American film and theater director, producer, actor, and comedian. He was noted for his ability to work across a range of genres and for his aptitude fo ...

' screen version of '' Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?'' (1966), for which he won the last Academy Award for Best Cinematography (Black & White) handed out.Beginning the next year, the

Academy An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosop ...

eliminated a separate category for awards for Black and White and Color in

Art Direction Art director is the title for a variety of similar job functions in theater, advertising, marketing, publishing, fashion, film and television, the Internet, and video games. It is the charge of a sole art director to supervise and unify the vis ...

Cinematography Cinematography (from ancient Greek κίνημα, ''kìnema'' "movement" and γράφειν, ''gràphein'' "to write") is the art of motion picture (and more recently, electronic video camera) photography. Cinematographers use a lens to focu ...

, and Costume Design. Source: The following year had Wexler as the cinematographer for the Oscar-winning detective drama, '' In the Heat of the Night'' (1967), starring

Sidney Poitier Sidney Poitier ( ; February 20, 1927 – January 6, 2022) was an American actor, film director, and diplomat. In 1964, he was the first black actor and first Bahamian to win the Academy Award for Best Actor. He received two competitive ...

. His work was notable for being the first major film in Hollywood history to be shot in color with proper consideration for a person of African descent. Wexler recognized that standard lighting tended to produce too much glare on that kind of dark complexion making the actors look bad. Accordingly, Wexler toned it down to feature Poitier with better photographic results. Wexler was fired as cinematographer during filming of

Francis Ford Coppola Francis Ford Coppola (; ; born April 7, 1939) is an American film director, producer, and screenwriter. He is considered one of the major figures of the New Hollywood filmmaking movement of the 1960s and 1970s. Coppola is the recipient of five ...

's '' The Conversation'' and replaced by Bill Butler. He was also fired from

Miloš Forman Jan Tomáš "Miloš" Forman (; ; 18 February 1932 – 13 April 2018) was a Czech and American film director, screenwriter, actor, and professor who rose to fame in his native Czechoslovakia before emigrating to the United States in 1968. Forman ...

's 1975 film ''

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest may refer to: * ''One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest'' (novel), a 1962 novel by Ken Kesey * ''One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest'' (play), a 1963 stage adaptation of the novel starring Kirk Douglas * ''One Flew Over the ...

'' and again replaced by Bill Butler. Wexler believed his dismissal on ''Cuckoo's Nest'' was due to his radical left political views as highlighted by his concurrent work on the documentary '' Underground'', in which the left-wing urban guerrilla group

The Weather Underground The Weather Underground was a far-left militant organization first active in 1969, founded on the Ann Arbor campus of the University of Michigan. Originally known as the Weathermen, the group was organized as a faction of Students for a Democr ...

were being interviewed while hiding from the law. However, Forman said he had terminated Wexler over mere artistic differences. Both Wexler and Butler received Academy Award nominations for Best Cinematography for ''One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest'', though Wexler said there was "only about a minute or two minutes in that film I didn't shoot.”Anderson, John. "Haskell Wexler, Oscar-Winning Cinematographer, Dies at 93." ''The New York Times'', December 27, 2015.
/ref> However, he won a second Oscar for '' Bound for Glory'' (1976), a biography of

, whom Wexler had met during his time in the Merchant Marine. ''Bound for Glory'' was the first feature film to make use of the newly invented Steadicam, in a famous sequence that also incorporated a

crane shot Crane or cranes may refer to: Common meanings * Crane (bird), a large, long-necked bird * Crane (machine), industrial machinery for lifting ** Crane (rail), a crane suited for use on railroads People and fictional characters * Crane (surname ...

. Wexler was also credited as additional cinematographer on ''

Days of Heaven ''Days of Heaven'' is a 1978 American romantic period drama film written and directed by Terrence Malick, and starring Richard Gere, Brooke Adams, Sam Shepard and Linda Manz. Set in 1916, it tells the story of Bill and Abby, lovers who travel ...

'' (1978), which won a Best Cinematography Oscar for

Néstor Almendros Néstor Almendros Cuyás, (30 October 1930 – 4 March 1992) was a Spanish cinematographer. One of the most highly appraised contemporary cinematographers, "Almendros was an artist of deep integrity, who believed the most beautiful light wa ...

. Wexler was featured on the soundtrack of the film '' Underground'' (1976), recorded on

Folkways Records Folkways Records was a record label founded by Moses Asch that documented folk, world, and children's music. It was acquired by the Smithsonian Institution in 1987 and is now part of Smithsonian Folkways. History The Folkways Records & Service ...

in 1976. He worked on documentaries throughout his career. The documentary '' Paul Jacobs and the Nuclear Gang'' (1980) earned an

; ''

Interviews with My Lai Veterans ''Interviews with My Lai Veterans'' is a 1970 American short documentary film directed by Joseph Strick featuring firsthand accounts of the My Lai Massacre. It won an Oscar at the 43rd Academy Awards in 1971 for Best Documentary (Short Subje ...

'' (1970) won an Academy Award. His later documentaries included; '' Bus Riders' Union'' (2000), about the modernization and expansion of bus services in Los Angeles by the organization and its founder

Eric Mann Eric Mann (born December 4, 1942) is a civil rights, anti-war, labor, and environmental organizer whose career spans more than 50 years. He has worked with the Congress of Racial Equality, Newark Community Union Project, Students for a Democra ...

, ''Who Needs Sleep?'' (2006), the ''Independent Lens'' documentary ''Good Kurds, Bad Kurds: No Friends But the Mountains'' (2000), ''Tell Them Who You Are'' (2004) ''

Bringing King to China ''Bringing King to China'' is a 2011 documentary film by Kevin McKiernan. The cinematographers include three-time Oscar-winner Haskell Wexler. The documentary is "a father's 'love letter' to his adult daughter, a young American woman's year-long ...

'' (2011), and ''From Wounded Knee to Standing Rock: A Reporter's Journey'' (2019). Wexler also directed fictional movies. '' Medium Cool'' (1969), a film written by Wexler and shot in a cinéma vérité style, is studied by film students all over the world for its breakthrough form. It influenced more than a generation of filmmakers. In DVD commentary for Criterion Collection, Wexler recalled that the studio execs were flabbergasted the film, "an edgy, Godardian tale that ricocheted from one hot-button topic to the next (poverty, racism, civil rebellion, the war in Vietnam, the Kennedy and King assassinations)." The making of '' Medium Cool'' was the subject of a BBC documentary by Paul Cronin, ''Look Out Haskell, It's Real: The Making of Medium Cool'' (2001). "Medium Cool" was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry in 2003. Produced by

Lucasfilm Lucasfilm Ltd. LLC is an American film and television production company and a subsidiary of Walt Disney Studios, which is a business segment of The Walt Disney Company. The studio is best known for creating and producing the '' Star Wars'' and ...

, Wexler's film '' Latino'' (1985) was chosen for the 1985 Cannes Film Festival. He both wrote and directed the work. Another directing project was ''From Wharf Rats to Lords of the Docks'' (2007), an intimate exploration of the life and times of

Harry Bridges Harry Bridges (28 July 1901 – 30 March 1990) was an Australian-born American union leader, first with the International Longshoremen's Association (ILA). In 1937, he led several chapters in forming a new union, the International Longshore an ...

, an extraordinary labor leader and social visionary described as "a hero or the devil incarnate--it all depends on your point of view." In 1988, Wexler won the

Independent Spirit Award for Best Cinematography The Independent Spirit Award for Best Cinematography is one of the annual awards given out by Film Independent, a non-profit organization dedicated to independent film and independent filmmakers, since 1985. Winners and nominees 1980s * 1985: ...

for the John Sayles film '' Matewan'' (1987), for which he was also nominated for an Academy Award. His work with Billy Crystal in the HBO film '' 61*'' (2001) was nominated for an Emmy. In 2021, filmmakers Joan Churchill and Alan Barker released a 26-minute documentary, ''Shoot From the Heart'', about Wexler's life and career. Churchill described her intention in making the film this way: “We were making a film about a man who was a passionate activist, who never gave up hope for the world.” A "lifelong liberal activist," during the final years of his life, Wexler trained his focus on raising awareness of sleep deprivation and long hours in the film industry, culminating in the documentary ''Who Needs Sleep?'' (2006), which "examined the routine overworking of Hollywood film crews." In a first-person article in HuffPost, Wexler wrote, "There's nothing I love more than making films. But the health of my fellow film workers and citizens is more important than anything on the silver screen."

Personal life

Wexler married the American actress Rita Taggart in 1989. He had two sons, four grandchildren; and one great-granddaughter.

Death

Wexler died in his sleep at the age of 93 on December 27, 2015, at his home in

Santa Monica, California Santa Monica (; Spanish: ''Santa Mónica'') is a city in Los Angeles County, situated along Santa Monica Bay on California's South Coast. Santa Monica's 2020 U.S. Census population was 93,076. Santa Monica is a popular resort town, owing to ...

Legacy and honors (career awards)

* In 1993, Wexler won a Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Society of Cinematographers, the first active cameraman to be awarded. * In 1996, he was awarded a star on the

Hollywood Walk of Fame The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a historic landmark which consists of more than 2,700 five-pointed terrazzo and brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along 15 blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in Hollywood, Calif ...

, the first cinematographer in 35 years to be so honored. * In 2004, Wexler was the subject of a documentary, ''Tell Them Who You Are'', directed by his son,

Mark Wexler Mark Simon Wexler (born 1955) is an American documentary filmmaker and photojournalist. Family His father, Haskell Wexler, was a cinematographer and filmmaker who won two Oscars. His mother, Marian Witt-Wexler, was a painter. Wexler's half-brot ...

. * In 2007, he received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Independent Documentary Association and the same from the

Society of Operating Cameramen The Society Of Camera Operators was founded in 1979 under the name Society of Operating Cameramen. Its primary mission is to advance the art, craft and creative contribution of the camera operator in the motion picture and television industries. The ...

. * In 2014, the Location Managers Guild of America awarded Wexler the Humanitarian Award at its inaugural awards show. * Six of the films he worked on have been preserved by the

National Film Registry The National Film Registry (NFR) is the United States National Film Preservation Board's (NFPB) collection of films selected for preservation, each selected for its historical, cultural and aesthetic contributions since the NFPB’s inception ...

for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant": '' Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf'' (inducted in 2013), ''

'' (2007), ''Medium Cool'' (2003), '' In the Heat of the Night'' (2002), '' American Graffiti'' (1995) and ''

'' (1993). * In September 2016,

created the Haskell Wexler Endowed Chair in Documentary at the USC School of Cinematic Arts. The first holder of the Wexler Chair is Michael Renov, Vice Dean of Academic Affairs at SCA and a professor in the Bryan Singer Division of Cinema & Media Studies.

Selected filmography

* '' Stakeout on Dope Street'', 1958 (Wexler is credited under the pseudonym of Mark Jeffrey due to problems with his Guild membership) * ''

'', 1960 * '' Hoodlum Priest'', 1961 * '' Angel Baby'', 1961 * ''

Face in the Rain ''Face in the Rain'' is a 1963 film by Irvin Kershner. Plot Cast External links

* * * American independent films 1963 films American black-and-white films Films directed by Irvin Kershner Films scored by Richard Markowitz 1960s En ...

'', 1963 * ''

'', 1963 * '' The Best Man'', 1964 * ''

The Loved One ''The Loved One: An Anglo-American Tragedy'' (1948) is a short satirical novel by British novelist Evelyn Waugh about the funeral business in Los Angeles, the British expatriate community in Hollywood, and the film industry. Conception ''The ...

'', 1965 (also producer) * '' Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?'', 1966 * '' In the Heat of the Night'', 1967 * '' The Thomas Crown Affair'', 1968 * '' Medium Cool'', 1969 (also director and screenwriter) * '' American Graffiti'', 1973 (as "visual consultant") * ''

Introduction to the Enemy ''Introduction to the Enemy'' is a 1974 American documentary film about Vietnam, filmed and directed by Haskell Wexler. Shot in the spring of 1974 and released before the end of the year, the film examines the human costs of the Vietnam War. The ...

'', 1974 (also director) * ''

'', 1975 (replaced by Bill Butler) * '' Underground'', 1976 (also co-director) * '' Bound for Glory'', 1976 * '' Coming Home'', 1978 * ''

'', 1978 * '' Second-Hand Hearts'', 1981 * ''

Lookin' to Get Out ''Lookin’ to Get Out'' is a 1982 American comedy film, directed by Hal Ashby and written by Al Schwartz and Jon Voight, who also stars. The film also stars Ann-Margret and Burt Young. Voight's daughter, Angelina Jolie, then seven years old, ...

'', 1982 * '' The Man Who Loved Women'', 1983 *'' Latino'', 1985 (also director and screenwriter) * '' Matewan'', 1987 * '' Colors'', 1988 * ''

Three Fugitives ''Three Fugitives'' is a 1989 American buddy crime-comedy film written and directed by Francis Veber, starring Nick Nolte and Martin Short, with supporting roles by Sarah Doroff, James Earl Jones, Alan Ruck, and Kenneth McMillan in his final fil ...

'', 1989 * '' Blaze'', 1989 * '' Other People's Money'', 1991 * ''

The Babe ''The Babe'' is a 1992 American biographical sports drama film about the life of famed baseball player Babe Ruth, who is portrayed by John Goodman. Directed by Arthur Hiller, written by John Fusco, it was released in the United States on Apri ...

'', 1992 * '' The Secret of Roan Inish'', 1994 * '' Canadian Bacon'', 1995 * '' Mulholland Falls'', 1996 * '' The Rich Man's Wife'', 1996 * ''

Limbo In Catholic theology, Limbo (Latin '' limbus'', edge or boundary, referring to the edge of Hell) is the afterlife condition of those who die in original sin without being assigned to the Hell of the Damned. Medieval theologians of Western Euro ...

'', 1999 * '' 61*'', 2001 * '' Silver City'', 2004 * ''

The Writer with No Hands ''The Writer with No Hands'' is a 2017 British documentary feature film, which follows unemployed academic Matthew Alford as he tries to establish that the accidental death of Hollywood screenwriter Gary DeVore was, in fact, an assassination by ...

'', 2014 (appearance as self) * ''Who Needs Sleep?'', 2006 (director and director of photography)http://12on12off.weebly.com

Frequent collaborators

* Hal Ashby *

Norman Jewison Norman Frederick Jewison (born July 21, 1926) is a retired Canadian film and television director, producer, and founder of the Canadian Film Centre. He has directed numerous feature films and has been nominated for the Academy Award for Best ...

* John Sayles *

Saul Landau Saul Landau (January 15, 1936 – September 9, 2013) was an American journalist, filmmaker and commentator. He was also a professor emeritus at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, where he taught history and digital media. Educa ...

References

External links

* *
A documentary about Wexler's 1969 film Medium Cool

''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers '' The Observer'' and '' The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the ...

'', interview, 2 June 2006
''Underground'' Album Details
at

Smithsonian Folkways Smithsonian Folkways is the nonprofit record label of the Smithsonian Institution. It is a part of the Smithsonian's Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, located at Capital Gallery in downtown Washington, D.C. The label was fo ...

Video interview
of Wexler about the film Medium Cool
Haskell Wexler Dead at 93: Legendary Cinematographer, Activist Captured the Struggles of Our Times
'' Democracy Now!'', 28 December 2015
Radio interview
with Haskell Wexler on ''

Fresh Air ''Fresh Air'' is an American radio talk show broadcast on National Public Radio stations across the United States since 1985. It is produced by WHYY-FM in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The show's host is Terry Gross. , the show was syndicated to ...

'' (17 mins, 1993) {{DEFAULTSORT:Wexler, Haskell 1922 births 2015 deaths 21st-century American Jews American cinematographers American film directors American male screenwriters American military personnel of World War II American sailors Best Cinematographer Academy Award winners Independent Spirit Award winners Jewish American military personnel Military personnel from Illinois Shipwreck survivors United States Merchant Mariners United States Merchant Mariners of World War II University of California, Berkeley alumni Francis W. Parker School (Chicago) alumni